Education in Iraq: School Stages, Examinations, Technical and University Routes

Education in Iraq connects school examinations with several academic and technical routes. The practical details depend on the responsible administration, the learner’s school branch and the admission channel. This guide explains those differences, then follows qualifications through diploma, bachelor, master’s and doctoral study.

Reviewed: 17 October 2026. Federal and Kurdistan Region provisions are labelled separately. Current 2026/27 instructions are distinguished from older structural reports, programme examples and reforms still being implemented.

Iraq education system at a glance

Question	Quick answer
School ladder	Federal primary, intermediate and preparatory stages; Kurdistan basic and secondary arrangements are explained below.
Compulsory education	Federal primary obligation; a separate nine-year basic-education law in the Kurdistan Region.
School entry	Age-six provisions apply, with the relevant legal cutoff and placement procedure.
Important school transitions	Keep the stage name with each class number and examination record.
Higher-education admission	Federal central/private channels, regional Zankoline and other category-specific routes.
Technical progression	Distinguish a designed diploma-to-bachelor sequence from a competitive graduate application.
Current university assessment	Instructions 11 of 2026 take effect from 2026/27 in their stated scope.

1. Start with the responsible education system

Iraq’s education arrangements need two administrative frames: federal provision and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. They have separate education ministries, curricula and instructional-language arrangements. UNESCO’s 2026 country study also warns that federal ministry school data exclude the Kurdistan Region’s governorates. A statistic labelled “Iraq” therefore needs its geographical coverage checked. The country study explains the distinction.

For an individual learner, identify the authority responsible for the current school and for the next institution. A move between Baghdad and Erbil can involve curriculum, language and admission changes even though both are within Iraq. Keep the original school name, grade label, subjects and examination results when arranging a transfer.

This guide uses “federal” for the national ministry routes described in its current guides, and explicitly labels regional rules and university examples. A rule for one admission channel should not be carried over to every institution simply because the qualification has a similar English name.

2. School stages, ages and the meaning of “sixth”

Federal schooling has six primary, three intermediate and three preparatory years. Intermediate years are numbered First–Third and preparatory years Fourth–Sixth. A bare “sixth” is ambiguous. The ministry-authored TIMSS 2023 national chapter describes this sequence.

Starting at six gives approximate uninterrupted-progression ages of 6–12, 12–15 and 15–18. Actual placement can differ.

The regional presidency describes nine years of basic school followed by three secondary years in Kurdistan. Its regional overview gives that structure. When translating a record, retain the original class title alongside an explanatory grade number. Otherwise a receiving institution may mistake an intermediate-stage certificate for a completed upper-secondary qualification.

3. What compulsory education actually covers

Federal Compulsory Education Law 118 makes primary education free and compulsory for children reaching six at the school-year start or by 31 December. The guardian’s attendance obligation continues until primary completion or age fifteen. That upper age provision does not itself establish nine compulsory school years. Article 1 of the consolidated law supplies the wording.

In Kurdistan, Law 13 of 2022 establishes nine-year basic education. Article 9 requires entry for children reaching six by 31 December; regular basic education is compulsory for those who have not exceeded sixteen, with completion before exceeding nineteen. Read the regional education law.

The Iraqi Constitution separately states that primary education is mandatory and free education at all stages is a right of Iraqis. Article 34 sets the constitutional principle. Actual admission channels, private tuition and living expenses still need to be identified when costing a particular course.

4. Preschool and the first school registration

The federal national chapter describes optional preschool for children aged four to six. Preschool precedes primary entry. The Kurdistan presidency similarly places kindergarten from age four before basic school. The regional profile helps locate this stage.

For primary registration, the federal compulsory-education law provides for local identification of eligible children and assignment to nearby schools. It also provides registration requisites without charge. The registration provisions explain why the local school and education directorate are the appropriate starting points.

A family should resolve three practical matters together: the child’s eligible intake, the school placement, and any learning or accessibility support. Bring existing records where available and ask which documents are still required. For a child transferring from another curriculum, distinguish age eligibility from the class-placement decision. A parent’s informal translation of a school year is useful background, but the receiving school needs to decide how that learning fits its curriculum.

5. Languages and the curriculum a child will actually study

Arabic and Kurdish are Iraq’s official languages. Constitution Article 4 also protects education in mother tongues such as Turkmen, Syriac and Armenian within the stated educational arrangements. The constitutional language provisions provide the rights framework.

The federal TIMSS account describes Arabic national curricula, translated Kurdish, Turkmen and Syriac materials, and English mathematics/science in some distinguished schools. Its curriculum description should be read with the particular school’s offering. The regional presidency describes Kurdish as the principal school language while identifying other-language provision. The regional language account makes that variation visible.

For a move, ask for the language of teaching and examination separately for mathematics, science and language subjects. A child who speaks conversational Kurdish or Arabic may still need help with scientific terminology. An English name or website does not prove that a school’s entire assessed programme is in English. Ask to see actual textbooks and a sample report rather than relying on a promotional description.

6. Classroom marks and the major school examinations

The federal national chapter reports marks out of ten in the first three primary grades and out of one hundred in Grades 4–6. Daily, monthly, midyear and annual assessment contribute to school records. Ministerial examinations occur at the end of primary, intermediate and preparatory education; passing the intermediate examination supports progression to preparatory study. The national assessment account describes their different purposes.

A school report, a ministerial result and a completed qualification should therefore be filed separately. The report shows progress during teaching; the examination result records the relevant external assessment; the completion document establishes the award or stage achieved.

When a pupil has an outstanding subject, ask the examination office for the applicable round, eligibility and certification date. A previous year’s timetable or exceptional permission to enter examinations should not be assumed to apply again. For university planning, the important question is whether the final school qualification and verified results will be ready for the intended admission channel.

7. Kurdistan’s basic and preparatory completion requirements

The regional law divides basic school into Grades 1–3, 4–6 and 7–9. Its first cycle uses an assessment card without repetition. Preparatory routes include scientific, literary and vocational study. In Grade 11, academic pupils undertake a project; a score below fifty or failure to complete it counts as failure. Vocational pupils instead undertake at least fourteen days of summer training. Preparatory completion requires the prescribed curriculum and examinations. The regional law sets out these components.

These requirements make the practical or project component visible alongside written tests. A student should establish the topic or placement, supervision, required evidence and completion deadline early. Waiting until the final examination period to discover an unfinished project can create an avoidable graduation problem.

Families transferring into a regional preparatory programme should ask how earlier coursework and practical learning will be recognised. A matching grade number does not demonstrate that the student has completed the same project or training requirement.

8. Vocational school and the next qualification

A vocational choice needs an occupational specialism and a named next qualification. The current federal procedures provide a competitive technical-institute route for vocational graduates, generally from an average of 55, with a higher nursing exception. A separate high-achiever route has field-specific percentages and minima: for example, the industrial/computer group uses the top twenty per cent and a minimum average of 75, alongside other conditions. The 2026/27 procedures must be checked for the exact branch and channel.

Kurdistan’s law also defines a five-year vocational institute after basic school. That regional institution type should not be confused with a two-year higher technical diploma entered after preparatory school.

For a learner interested in electrical or computer work, compare the actual workshop content, school-leaving award and onward eligibility. A useful comparison includes the entry certificate, practical assessment, training location and next permitted application. “Technical education” alone is too broad to establish whether two offers are at the same level.

9. Federal central admission in 2026/27

The ordinary federal central route in the 2026/27 student guide is for eligible Iraqi preparatory graduates from 2025/26, born in 2002 or later, with the specified verified certificate, fitness and full-time-study conditions. Admission is competitive through the official digital process. Scientific applicants list fifty choices, including at least ten institutes/polytechnics; literary applicants list twenty-five to fifty, including ten; arts applicants list at least ten, including two. Read the current student guide before ranking choices.

Every listed choice should be a place the student could realistically attend. Compare the exact department, campus, accommodation and cost before submission. A long preference list is not a list of guaranteed offers; it gives the allocation process alternatives under the applicable rules.

For example, a student who can live only in one city should investigate transport and housing before placing a distant department high on the list. Academic eligibility and practical feasibility need to be resolved together.

10. Older graduates and a dated reopening example

Failure to fit the ordinary current-school-leaver channel does not settle every possible admission route. The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research publishes separate notices for particular categories.

On 17 October 2026, it reopened reassignment and previous-year-graduate vacant-place applications, naming 2024/25 graduates and the 2025/26 central-admission minimum scores. The notice set 22 October 2026 as the closing date and explained examination-number activation for relevant applicants. That specific announcement is a useful example of how tightly a channel can be defined.

The lesson is to match the graduation year, applicant category and vacancy route before relying on an advertised opening. The existence of this short window does not mean that all older graduates can use the ordinary 2026/27 application form. Keep a copy of the notice used and the submitted application, including the channel name. If a number will not activate, identify the office responsible under that notice rather than creating inconsistent duplicate applications.

11. Private admission, paid routes and unreliable reservations

The 2026/27 private-admission guide uses Qaddim and specifies seven to fifty choices, subject to the relevant eligibility and competitive selection rules. The current private guide should replace advice based on an older application format.

The ministry’s August 2026 warning is especially practical: purported seat reservations through paper or electronic forms outside the approved admission mechanism have no legal or administrative admission effect. Read the official reservation warning. A receipt from a recruitment intermediary is not a substitute for an authorised admission result.

Public institutions also have separately regulated paid channels, including parallel study, in the federal procedures. Their terms are channel-specific. Compare tuition, study mode, refund conditions and the exact awarding institution. Obtain an official itemised statement before paying. A lower advertised price is not useful if the applicant cannot establish the programme, the permitted intake or the status of the place being offered.

12. Kurdistan admission: Zankoline and institutional registration

The Kurdistan Regional Government’s higher-education service report describes Zankoline as the central online route into public universities and institutes for Grade 12 graduates. Its reported figures cover 2020–2024, rather than a new 2026 census. The dated service account explains the mechanism.

There is a current institutional example at Erbil Polytechnic University. Its 2026/27 new-student portal distinguishes Zankoline, parallel, evening and polytechnic routes and requests identifiers such as the examination number or Zankoline code. The university’s current portal shows why allocation and subsequent registration need to be followed through.

An applicant should use the route named in the actual offer and verify the department and mode displayed during registration. Federal Qaddim instructions do not automatically describe a Zankoline application. For a cross-system move, ask the receiving institution how it verifies the school certificate and which admission category applies before making assumptions from a friend’s experience.

13. Technical diplomas and routes into a bachelor

The federal procedures provide a competitive college channel for the top twenty per cent of institute graduates in the relevant specialism. For the 2026/27 route, the graduation cohort, correspondence of subjects, study mode and capacity conditions matter. The institute-graduate provisions do not create an automatic bachelor place for every diploma holder.

Some institutions publish a different, programme-designed sequence. Karbala Polytechnic College’s information-technology programme describes a two-year diploma followed by a further two years toward a bachelor under approved academic regulations. That programme’s structure should be checked for progression conditions.

Erbil Polytechnic University’s 2026/27 construction-materials engineering page similarly describes four semesters and 120 credits for the diploma, followed by four further semesters for the bachelor. This is a regional programme example.

Ask whether an offer is entry to an integrated sequence, a fresh competitive application after a diploma, or a transfer with individually assessed credits. Those arrangements can produce very different study plans despite being described informally as “two plus two”.

14. What a technical award can require in practice

Al-Rusafa Administrative Polytechnic College’s accounting-techniques page provides a concrete completion example. It describes the department’s 2026 transition and diploma/bachelor provision. Its listed diploma requirements include theoretical and practical study across two stages, a second-stage graduation research project with discussion, and summer training. The department’s own description makes the assessed components visible.

Consider a student who has passed the taught accounting courses but has not completed the training record. The useful next step is to ask the department which evidence remains outstanding and when it can be completed. Treating the course average as the entire award requirement would miss the practical component.

Because the institution is changing its provision, a new applicant should request the plan attached to the offered qualification and cohort. Requirements listed for the two-stage diploma should not be silently applied to the entire bachelor programme. Keep the training assessment and project result with the transcript; they help explain the actual learning behind the title.

15. Bologna credits and programme workload

The federal ministry described Bologna-process implementation in technical universities in 2022/23 and expansion to engineering and science in 2023/24. The dated rollout announcement establishes stages of implementation, not a claim that every Iraqi programme uses identical rules.

The University of Baghdad’s published guidelines give a useful institutional model: sixty European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) credits per year, with each credit representing twenty-five hours of learning. The workload includes structured and independent activity. The guidelines also identify required summer training as part of graduation where prescribed. Read the institutional credit guidance.

Credits therefore cannot be compared by their number alone. Identify whether a transcript uses ECTS, another credit-hour system or annual subjects. A receiving institution needs the definition, course level and assessed content before deciding on transfer. The presence of the word “Bologna” is not itself a promise of automatic recognition by a European university or professional regulator.

16. University examination rules effective from 2026/27

Appendix 6 of the current private-admission guide reproduces University Examination Instructions 11 of 2026. Article 24 makes them effective from 2026/27; Article 23 replaces the older 2000 instructions. Their scope includes the covered public and private institutions and morning/evening study. Ordinary continuous assessment is thirty to fifty per cent, with practical exceptions. The stated subject pass reference is fifty per cent, but sixty in the specified course-system colleges. Read the actual instructions and system-specific provisions.

This is why a single national “pass mark” is an incomplete answer. First identify the institution’s applicable study system and the approved assessment plan for the module. A laboratory, project or clinical component may carry requirements that cannot be inferred from a written-test score.

Before an assessment, obtain the published weighting and completion conditions. If a result is disputed, use the institution’s formal review procedure and keep the original result and supporting work. An informal recalculation is not an amended academic record.

17. A four-year engineering degree, beyond its duration

The University of Baghdad’s surveying-engineering curriculum, labelled 2023/24, contains eight semesters and 240 ECTS credits. It moves through mathematics and engineering foundations into surveying, geographic information systems and specialist measurement technologies. The final year includes two project components, and a four-week summer internship is required. The actual curriculum gives a bounded example of what a four-year award involves.

For a prospective student, this is more useful than treating “engineering” as a single course. Compare the mathematics preparation, fieldwork, software access and project expectations with the intended occupation. Surveying requires learning outside an ordinary lecture room as well as technical analysis.

A transfer applicant should retain course descriptions and practical records, not just a total credit count. The receiving department needs to determine which requirements have already been met. This published plan is illustrative; the university should confirm the curriculum and progression rules attached to a new cohort.

18. Medicine is a longer professional first degree

The University of Baghdad College of Medicine describes a six-year Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery. Its study information provides a clear example of a longer first-degree route.

A separate current curriculum from Baghdad’s Al-Kindy College of Medicine, for 2025/26, shows how clinical learning develops. Its final year includes extended rotations in internal medicine, surgery, paediatrics, obstetrics and gynaecology, and family medicine. The clinical curriculum illustrates the practical workload behind the duration.

A school-leaver should therefore compare more than the entry score: clinical teaching sites, supervision, attendance, assessments and the requirements after graduation all matter. A medical first degree is also different from a research PhD. Completion of the academic award does not by itself establish permission to practise in another country. Anyone planning international clinical work needs the receiving regulator’s qualification, examination and registration requirements before assuming that recognition of the university settles professional eligibility.

19. Master’s entry and completing the research stage

Master’s applicants need an accepted bachelor’s or equivalent qualification in a permitted academic background. The federal 2026/27 guide separates applicant categories and departmental specialism requirements. For the ordinary non-employee master’s category, it specifies a minimum average of 65 and an age limit of forty at 1 October 2026. Self-funded and other categories have distinct provisions. Competitive selection, language/computer competency requirements and the relevant departmental conditions must also be checked. Use the table for the correct category.

The University of Baghdad’s 2026/27 plan lists two-year law master’s programmes with a limited number of places. The current plan gives the actual programme context. The College of Law describes first-year specialist coursework with written and oral examinations, followed by a second year devoted to research and a thesis. Its programme explanation shows the completion sequence.

A strong entry average is therefore only the start. A student should plan the research question, supervisor, source access and thesis milestones alongside coursework. Before accepting a place, establish the permitted completion period, funding coverage and the department’s examination requirements for the thesis.

20. Doctoral entry, comprehensive examination and dissertation

Doctoral applicants need a relevant master’s or accepted equivalent, meeting the department’s specified academic-background requirements. For the ordinary non-employee doctoral category, the federal 2026/27 guide specifies a minimum master’s average of 70 and an age limit of forty-five at 1 October 2026. The self-funded category has a different age provision. These are category-specific admission conditions, not the final ranking or a guarantee of a place. The doctoral admission table must be read with the specialist requirements.

Baghdad’s current plan lists three-year law doctorates. The law faculty describes coursework and a comprehensive examination in the first year, followed by dissertation research in the second and third. The current plan and faculty explanation provide the institutional example.

There is also current evidence of the examined research stage: the college reported a September 2026 doctoral defence concerning insurance and artificial-intelligence-driven vehicles. The defence report illustrates an actual academic process. A PhD applicant needs a viable research project and supervision, not simply a wish to add another taught qualification after the master’s.

21. Checking the institution, programme and receiving authority

Start federal institution checks with the ministry’s public-university directory and private-university and college directory. Then verify the precise department, campus, study mode and authorised intake. An institution-level listing does not answer every programme-level question.

The 2026/27 student guide contains a separate chapter on recognised Kurdistan Region institutions, including conditions where relevant. That chapter should be checked rather than assuming that every regional institution has identical federal recognition status. The regional service report also describes an equalisation system for qualifications obtained outside its system. The regional account identifies a separate recognition function.

For study or work abroad, the receiving university, credential authority or professional regulator makes its own decision. Prepare the award, full transcript, original-language names, translations where requested, and evidence of practical or research components. Recognition of an academic qualification and permission to practise a regulated occupation are separate decisions. A private agent’s assurance cannot replace the responsible authority’s written assessment.

22. International study and the funding category

The official Study in Iraq portal lists participating institutions and distinguishes full scholarships, partial scholarships and self-funded study. Use the ministry-linked portal to identify the real programme and funding category. A counter or promotional total on a portal should not be read as a promise that a particular applicant has a funded place.

An international applicant should obtain a current offer identifying the award, department, language, duration and covered costs. Full and partial funding labels need an itemised explanation: tuition, residence, living support and other expenses may be treated differently. Confirm the applicable academic-document verification and residence procedures through the institution.

Take particular care with pages containing several years of admission tables. Baghdad law’s postgraduate information, for example, includes older scholarship plans alongside programme explanations. Those historical seat tables are not an open 2026/27 funding offer. A useful application file preserves the dated call and the final award letter rather than relying on an undated screenshot.

23. Refugee pupils and phased regional integration

UNHCR’s Iraq education FAQ describes the Kurdistan Region’s Refugee Education Integration Policy. Its current guidance focuses on Grades 1–7, with higher grades to follow and full integration intended by 2030. It explains Kurdish-language instruction in the integrated system and the route toward recognised Iraqi school qualifications. The current FAQ makes the phased coverage important.

The same guidance describes arrangements for evaluating children who lack previous education documents. A family should therefore seek placement advice from the relevant school or education directorate rather than assuming that missing papers make all schooling impossible. Ask about language support, the appropriate grade and any assessment needed to establish earlier learning.

A useful case is a child who has learned mathematics in Arabic but is entering a Kurdish-language class. The placement discussion should cover both subject attainment and language support. A policy target for later grades should not be presented to the family as proof that those grades already operate under identical arrangements everywhere.

24. Interrupted schooling and what implementation evidence shows

UNESCO’s 2026 study describes an accelerated-learning route using a condensed primary curriculum for ages twelve to eighteen and a primary certificate on completion. Its participation figure is from 2017/18, and it warns that reintegration provision varies. This is evidence of a route and its limitations, not confirmation that a place is available in every locality in 2026.

More recent delivery evidence comes from UNICEF’s February 2026 account of the Education Management Information System. It reports 16,675 schools using the system by December 2025 and describes attendance follow-up and school-management support. The implementation report gives a dated measure of progress rather than universal digital coverage.

For a returning learner, first reconstruct the last completed stage and any existing examination record. Then ask the directorate which current regular, accelerated or other approved route is available locally. Establish the certificate awarded and onward transition before enrolling. A short catch-up activity can be helpful without necessarily replacing a complete recognised school stage.

25. Technical reform: an ongoing project with defined targets

UNESCO and the European Union launched a green and digital technical and vocational education and training project in 2025, running through 2027. The announced scope includes eight technical/polytechnic universities, eight vocational schools and two vocational training centres, together with curriculum, staff-development and qualifications-framework work. The project announcement describes intended coverage. UNESCO’s current project record identifies ongoing implementation.

This gives prospective learners a concrete reform to investigate at participating institutions. It does not establish that every Iraqi qualification has already changed, every workshop has new equipment, or every graduate has an assured job.

A useful question is whether the learner’s own department and intake are involved. Ask what equipment will be used, which practical competencies are assessed, and what certificate the completed programme awards. Keep proposed framework changes separate from the qualification actually written into the admission offer. A reform announcement is most useful when connected to visible teaching and assessment changes at the chosen institution.

26. Three practical pathway examples

A scientific school-leaver ranking university options. Ali compares the subject content and travel requirements of several departments before submitting preferences. He checks that every listed option is acceptable, saves the submitted order and follows the official result through registration. He does not pay a third party for a supposedly reserved place that the authorised system does not show.

A technical diploma student planning a bachelor. Dilan asks whether her proposed next step is part of her department’s published sequence or a separate competitive graduate channel. She obtains the remaining curriculum, practical requirements and any credit decision in writing. Two institutions may both advertise further study while applying very different selection rules.

A master’s student preparing doctoral study. Mariam first confirms the applicant category and current specialist entry requirements. She also compares the research supervision available with the project she wants to undertake. Meeting a numerical threshold does not resolve selection, funding or the feasibility of the dissertation.

These are original planning examples, not real admissions decisions. Each starts by identifying the exact transition and the evidence needed to complete it.

27. Frequently asked questions

Is the same compulsory-school rule used throughout Iraq? No. The federal primary obligation and the Kurdistan Region’s basic-education law need to be read separately. The legal section above explains the age provisions.

Can I apply through any university portal I find? Use the official route for your applicant category and institution. An information form or promotional reservation does not establish an authorised offer.

Does a technical diploma guarantee two more years to a bachelor? Establish whether the programme has a designed progression route or whether a new competitive application is required. Obtain the actual remaining requirements.

Is fifty per cent always a university pass? The current instructions distinguish study systems and practical conditions. Ask for the rule and assessment plan governing the specific course.

Does a university’s English website mean the degree is taught in English? No. Confirm teaching, examination and research languages for the programme itself.

Can an old scholarship table be used to budget for a new intake? Only a current funding decision can establish your coverage. Check the date, programme and conditions before making financial commitments.

Will a recognised degree automatically permit professional practice overseas? Academic recognition and occupational registration are separate. The receiving regulator decides the professional requirements.

Official sources and scope

The guide prioritises Iraqi federal and Kurdistan Region legislation, current ministry guides and institutional curricula. UN agency sources explain implementation and access. Historical data retain their reference periods; programme examples do not establish universal duration or transfer rules. Original learner examples illustrate decisions rather than official outcomes. The Arabic admission and examination documents should be consulted for category-specific exceptions.

• Iraqi Ministry of Education authors: TIMSS 2023 national chapter — School structure, classroom assessment, ministerial examinations and curriculum languages.
• Compulsory Education Law 118 of 1976 — Consolidated English text in UNESCO’s education-rights repository; Article 1 and registration provisions.
• Constitution of Iraq — Articles 4 and 34: languages, education rights and compulsory primary education.
• Kurdistan Region Education Law 13 of 2022 — Current regional legislation register; basic education, assessment, preparatory projects and vocational institutes.
• Kurdistan Region Presidency: regional profile — Kindergarten, nine-year basic and three-year secondary stages, and instructional languages.
• Federal student guide, 2026/27 — Ordinary central-admission eligibility and ranked choices; regional institution-recognition chapter.
• Federal student affairs and admission procedures, 2026/27 — Vocational and institute-graduate channels, correspondence of specialisms and paid public routes.
• Private higher-education admission guide, 2026/27 — Ranked application rules; Appendix 6 reproduces University Examination Instructions 11 of 2026, effective 2026/27.
• Federal ministry: official digital admission and reservation warning, 11 August 2026 — Status of purported seat reservations outside the approved admission process.
• Federal ministry: previous-year and reassignment channels, 17 October 2026 — A dated, limited reopening, including activation of examination numbers and the applicable prior-year minimum scores.
• Kurdistan Regional Government: public service reports — Higher-education account for 2020–2024 describes Zankoline and qualification equalisation; report periods remain distinct.
• Erbil Polytechnic University: new-student portal, 2026/27 — Zankoline, parallel, evening and polytechnic routes, with registration identifiers.
• Erbil Polytechnic University: construction-materials engineering, 2026/27 — Programme-specific diploma and subsequent bachelor semester structure.
• Karbala Polytechnic College: information technology — Al-Furat Al-Awsat Technical University’s programme-specific two-stage diploma/bachelor route.
• Al-Rusafa Administrative Polytechnic College: accounting techniques — Departmental 2026 transition and listed diploma completion, research and summer-training requirements.
• Federal ministry: Bologna implementation, June 2023 — Technical-university implementation and subsequent engineering/science expansion, with academic-year scope.
• University of Baghdad: Bologna guidelines — Institutional credit workload, semesters and graduation requirements.
• University of Baghdad: surveying engineering curriculum, 2023/24 — Four-year, 240-ECTS example, projects and required summer internship; cohort-labelled curriculum.
• University of Baghdad College of Medicine: admission and study — Six-year Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery example.
• Al-Kindy College of Medicine: curriculum, 2025/26 — Clinical progression and final-year rotations; a separate medical-college example.
• Federal postgraduate admission requirements, 2026/27 — Category-specific averages and ages, examinations and supporting requirements; Arabic numerical provisions checked visually.
• University of Baghdad: postgraduate plan, 2026/27 — Programme-specific master’s/doctoral durations and limited public/private-expense places.
• University of Baghdad College of Law: postgraduate programmes — Coursework, comprehensive examination and thesis/dissertation structures; older scholarship tables are not current offers.
• University of Baghdad: doctoral defence, September 2026 — Actual examination of a dissertation on insurance and artificial-intelligence-driven vehicles.
• Federal ministry: public universities — Official institution directory and links.
• Federal ministry: private universities and colleges — Institution verification starting point; programme and intake permission need separate checking.
• Study in Iraq: official international-study portal — Participating institutions and full-scholarship, partial-scholarship and self-funded categories.
• UNHCR Iraq: education questions and answers — Regional refugee-education integration, languages, missing records and phased grade coverage.
• UNICEF: school management and education information, 8 February 2026 — Implementation reported as of December 2025; attendance monitoring and local school support.
• UNESCO Global Education Monitoring Report: Iraq, 2026 — Separate administrations, data limitations and dated evidence on accelerated education and return to school.
• UNESCO and EU: green and digital TVET project, August 2025 — Project running through 2027, targeted institutions and planned qualifications-framework work.
• UNESCO project record: TVET Phase III — Ongoing 2025–2027 implementation record checked in 2026.

Continue exploring education

Use the eduKateSG Education Hub to connect this country guide with wider questions about learning, school transitions and family support. Compare actual programme requirements and qualifications before translating a school year or award into another education system.

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