Old Dominion University Announces Partnership with Iraq's Cihan University

ODUOnline International and Old Dominion University's English Language Center (ELC) have established a partnership with Cihan University Sulaimaniya (CUS), a private undergraduate university in the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).

Starting in 2021, the partnership will focus on providing CUS students access to ODU's highly-ranked online master's degrees in Computer Science, Business Administration (MBA), Cybersecurity, and Modeling & Simulation.

Currently, five students from Cihan University Sulaimaniya are enrolled in a conversational English class offered through ODU's English Language Center. Then they'll enroll in the Monarch English Transition (MET) program, an intensive program designed to help international students pass ODU's English proficiency requirement. This is a major asset for international students, who are seeking an education but may have to overcome a language barrier. 

Both universities, each of which signed a five-year international memo of understanding in March 2019, are excited about the partnership. "We have built a wonderful friendship with these Iraqi citizens," said Mitsue Shiokawa, director of ODUOnline International.

"The partnership is a success and [we are] finding common ground in mutually beneficial collaborations," said Hemen Rasheed Agha, director of University relations & media for Cihan University Sulaimaniya. Agha went on to say, "this partnership has paved the way to provide educational opportunities that allow students of CUS to engage and benefit from opportunities that are offered at ODU."

To learn more about ODUOnline's programs for international students, including a scholarship opportunity, visit online.odu.edu/international.

About Old Dominion University

Old Dominion University, located in the coastal city of Norfolk, is Virginia's entrepreneurial-minded doctoral research university and has been delivering distance learning programs for 30 years. We offer more than 100 programs through ODUOnline in a variety of formats, allowing students to complete degree programs across the world. ODU serves more than 24,000 students annually by providing the same rigorous academics online and on-campus. Learn more about ODUOnline's programs by visiting online.odu.edu.