Iraq achieves peak growth in higher education institutions

Shafaq News – Baghdad

More than 300 colleges and scientific departments have been established within just three years, Iraq’s Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Naeem al-Aboudi, announced on Thursday.

Al-Aboudi stated in a conference that for the 2025–2026 academic year alone, 32 new colleges, 151 scientific departments, and 39 branches were introduced, marking the highest number of new institutions in the history of Iraq’s higher education system.

54 colleges, 292 scientific departments, and 70 branches have been integrated into Iraqi universities during the past three years, he stated, noting that “the expansions were designed to serve society and address labor market needs.”

In the Webometrics World University Ranking for the first half of 2022, 89 Iraqi universities and colleges appeared in the index, which evaluates institutions based on online visibility, transparency, and research excellence.

However, the 2024 Shanghai Ranking, which relies on criteria such as Nobel Prizes, Fields Medals, highly cited researchers, and publications in Science and Nature, did not include any Iraqi universities, while American institutions dominated the top positions.