The university offers undergraduate and postgraduate education as well as research opportunities.

With two campuses in central Baghdad, Nahrain University is widely viewed as one of the best universities in Iraq due to its strict admission requirements, updated curricula, and relatively better educational equipment.

However, in 2007, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani signed a law that officially transferred Nahrain University to the authority of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (Iraq).

To comply with the Public University System, Nahrain had to remove its special admission requirements, change its system to a regular year-based academic year (Fall and Spring only), and eliminate the five year joint bachelor's and master's degree program.

Currently, Nahrain still praises itself to be Iraq's best higher education institute in terms of the level of scientific and academic research, and the systematic and self-discipline.