Iraq grants universities authority to award bonus points in graduate admissions

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraq’s Acting Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Abdulhussein al-Musawi, has authorized universities, colleges and institutes to process graduate application results. The ministry said the decision covers university councils as well as colleges and institutes not affiliated with any university. Under the new authority, candidates who score between 40 and 44 on the admissions exam can receive bonus points of no more than 5 points, applied only to unfilled seats within the approved acceptance plan. The measure is intended to place as many eligible applicants as possible in vacant slots, with processing and placement carried out according to the highest differential ratio among covered candidates. The ministry ordered that all processing and filling of vacant seats be completed within three days of the notification date, with the details of the process reported back to the ministry. Universities were also instructed to issue acceptance decrees immediately after the process concludes, in line with the established criteria.