MOHESR: More than 6,700 foreign students registered in our universities

Baghdad - INA

The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research announced, today, Thursday, the registration of more than 6,700 foreign students in universities within the Study in Iraq initiative and from 91 Arab and foreign countries, while it set the minimum and at the same time the application rate to medical colleges for the next academic year for all students.

The ministry's spokesman, Haider Al-Aboudi, told the Iraqi News Agency (INA): "The Study in Iraq program, which was launched in 2023 on March 15, is now witnessing its second edition for the academic year 2024-2025," indicating that "the turnout, registration and acceptance index in light of the first edition of the 2023 initiative witnessed the acceptance of 1,015 international students from different countries of the world in Iraqi universities in various specializations at the level of bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees.".

He added that "the index of the first edition required the Ministry of Higher Education to coordinate with countries of the world and their cultural attaches, especially those that share or are linked with Iraq by memorandums of cooperation agreements for cultural, scientific and academic exchange," noting that "the second edition, which was launched last April, witnessed the registration of 6,766 students through various application channels, which are the free scholarship channel, where Iraq and Iraqi universities cover tuition fees and provide housing for the student, the channel that is half a free scholarship, in addition to the private expense channel, as these numbers were distributed among the channels.".

He continued, "There is a positive number of applicants for postgraduate studies," explaining that "Iraq obtained international accreditation from the World Federation for Medical Education in 2024, and these positive indicators were an incentive for international students to join our Iraqi universities, as their presence indicates the quality of the accredited study programs and there is a high level of quality in the teaching environment as well as the quality of scientific research.".

He pointed out that "there are 34 Iraqi universities that have provided these scholarships and more than 23 private universities, as these Iraqi universities provide and cover the costs of studies and provide housing for the student," noting that "the foreign students who registered and whose numbers were mentioned were distributed across 91 countries around the world, extending from Arab and regional countries to the European continent and America.".

He stated that "the Opinion Authority at the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research has taken a decision to set a minimum application rate, whereby the minimum application rate to colleges of human medicine at the level of government universities as well as private universities is not less than 95%, and this is a new variable this year," noting that "this came to organize the preparation annually, as we witness the acceptance of numbers that join the university education environment and institutions of higher education and scientific research, and the indicator of the increase in rates is very clear in recent years.".

He pointed out that "the scientific researcher in postgraduate studies provides solutions to the problems facing society and state institutions, and therefore the conditions were set, and one of the most important conditions is the condition of success in postgraduate studies, and the condition of success is one of the most important foundations adopted by scientific tests all over the world," explaining that "success in postgraduate studies is followed by competition based on merit and comparison, which represents the guarantor of the student's acceptance in postgraduate studies."