The University of Baghdad has officially adopted March 2, 1908, as its founding date, based on a decision of the University Council during its 16th Extraordinary Session, following approval by the Opinion Committee of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research. This historic decision reaffirms the longstanding historical and academic legacy of Iraq’s oldest university.
The decision is based on the establishment of the College of Law on March 2, 1908, regarded as the first foundation of higher education in Iraq. Accordingly, this date replaces the previously recognized founding date, providing formal documentation of the deeply rooted academic origins of the University of Baghdad.
Under the decision, March 2 will be officially recognized as University of Baghdad Day and will be incorporated into the University’s logo, official correspondence, website, and digital platforms. It will also be adopted as the official date for holding graduation ceremonies for the University’s academic cohorts. This measure is intended to strengthen the University’s institutional identity and reinforce its distinguished academic heritage.
The President of the University of Baghdad, Prof. Dr. Alaa Abdul Hassan Al-Zughaybi, emphasized that the decision represents far more than a mere amendment to the founding date. Rather, it constitutes an institutional recognition of the history of higher education in Iraq and provides scientific and legal documentation of an academic legacy extending over more than a century. It also consolidates the identity of the University of Baghdad as the institutional continuation of the country’s earliest higher education institutions, thereby strengthening its national and international standing and preserving its history for future generations.
