Iraq's Higher Education Minister Announces Results of Student Admissions Exchange Between Kurdistan Region and Iraq

INA

, Naeem al-AboudiIraq's Minister of Higher Education, press conference.

Iraq's Minister of Higher Education announced on Sunday the outcome of student admissions between universities in the Kurdistan Region and the rest of Iraq, confirming that more than 370 students had been exchanged across a range of academic disciplines.

Speaking at a conference on admissions for the 2025–2026 academic year, Iraq's Minister of Higher Education Naeem al-Aboudi said: “The Ministry began implementing a student exchange programme last May between universities under the federal government and those in the Kurdistan Region.”

He explained that the initial plan had provided for the exchange of 100 students across medical, engineering, humanities, and technical fields. However, this year 105 students from the Kurdistan Region have been admitted to universities in the central and southern Iraqi provinces, while more than 266 students from federal universities have been accepted into universities in the Kurdistan Region.

Al-Aboudi described the development as a major achievement, noting that the exchange programme had been suspended since 1991. Its resumption, he said, represents an important step toward strengthening academic cooperation.

He confirmed that students from the central and southern provinces will study in Kurdish at universities in the Kurdistan Region, while students from the Kurdistan Region will receive their education in Arabic at universities in central Iraq.

The Minister expressed gratitude for the joint efforts made by the Ministry and the Kurdistan Region, as well as for the support of officials in both the federal and regional governments, which had enabled the success of this milestone initiative.

For his part, Mustafa Ahmed Khattab, Director General of the Planning, Studies and Follow-up Department at the Kurdistan Region’s Ministry of Education, said during the conference: “We announce the publication of the first list of students accepted for placements between universities in the Kurdistan Region and other Iraqi universities, after many years of interruption.” He stressed that this announcement represents a significant historic step in advancing cooperation between higher education institutions across Iraq.

He also expressed his appreciation to the Iraqi Ministry of Higher Education for its considerable efforts in ensuring the success of the project.



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