The American University of Kurdistan Receives Recognition from Baghdad

Duhok, Iraqi Kurdistan – August 30, 2017 – The Iraqi Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research has granted full recognition to The American University of Kurdistan.  Recognition from the central government means that the university is now eligible to recruit students from all over Iraq, sponsor visas for overseas applicants, and participate in international exchange programs like Fulbright.

The American University received a special congratulatory message from the American consulate in Erbil, Consul General Ken Gross writing, “Congratulations on this great news! This makes the future of AUK even brighter and increases its standing throughout the region.”

Hasan Qasim, a student in the university’s first graduating class, received the news with a sense of personal satisfaction: “Accreditation from Baghdad means my diploma will receive the same consideration for postgraduate schools and international scholarships as any other university in Iraq.”

According to Dr. Michael Mulnix, the university’s founding president, “Along with receiving special status from His Excellency the Prime Minister several weeks ago, accreditation from Baghdad means AUK is on a fast trajectory to become one of the premier institutes of higher learning in the region.”

Kawar Fariq of the university’s Office of Public Affairs and Communications expressed surprise at the announcement: “This university isn’t even three years old.  It took the American University in Sulaimani ten years to receive accreditation.  It’s not a competition, but this recognition is an amazing achievement for such a young university.”

The American University of Kurdistan was founded in 2014 as a not-for-profit institution of higher learning.