Iraq is engaged in a bold program of education reform. HCED leads the first phase of the reform initiative which includes the establishment of a scholarship program. It is the goal of the HCED to place thousands of Iraqi students into universities in the U.S. and the U.K. in the next five years. HCED will begin with a pilot program that will create the first class of 500+ students to study in the US or the UK beginning in early 2010.  Eventually, the Initiative that will send up to 10,000 Iraqi students per year over the next five years to the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia to complete their higher education studies.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki (center) visits AED on July 25, 2009 to announce the new scholarship program.

The selection process for students is completely objective and transparent, based primarily on academic grades and test scores.  Students will be selected from every Iraqi province with the number of scholarships awarded proportionate to the provincial populations. To be considered for the scholarship, criteria for the applicants include the following:

• Must be a citizen of Iraq and residing in Iraq for the past two years
• Must have an excellent record of academic achievement
• Agreement to return immediately to Iraq upon program completion
• Proof of provincial residency, via jinsiah

Degree levels are undergraduate, graduate and post graduate. More information is available on the HCED website http://www.hcediraq.org/

Initiative Updates

11/12/09: HCED plans to send 100 Students to the United States by January 31, 2010.

Read the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).