CEA is recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education as a nationally recognized accrediting agency for English language programs and institutions in the U.S. APP operates with a high level of quality, with an approved program of study, qualified instructors, adequate resources, and approved recruitment and admissions policies.
The Professional Development Institute (PDI) at AUIS complements the educational objectives of the university by providing opportunities for lifelong learning.
[13] Students can take part in many activities including drama, debate, linguistics, music, athletics, social work and indoor games like chess.
The festival, backed by the US State Department, hosted performances, workshops, discussions and field trips by American and Iraqi artists.
Later, AUIS senior lecturer Marie Labrosse published a book, SoJust, that chronicled the arts festival in Sulaimani.
Some of their productions include “Twelve Angry (Wo)men”,[17] “Noor”, “Will’s Cafe”[18] - a play to celebrate Shakespeare's 450th birthday; and “The Arranged” - a commentary on the tradition of arranged marriages also written by a student Mahdi Murad,[19] and “9 Parts of Desire” - performed during the Art of Social Justice Festival focusing on Iraqi migrant women.
In December 2015, two AUIS students, Leah Farooq and Beyan Tahir, were selected to participate in the Home Grown program - an intensive theatrical training provided jointly by the Kevin Spacey Foundation and The Middle East Theatre Academy.
The Washington Post included two pictures of the AUIS Voice staff in a photo collection titled “Youths in Iraq: The War Generation.”[22] The outlet is also a member of the Associated Collegiate Press.
Students on both the women's and men's basketball team at AUIS participated in the 34th Annual Sports Fest at Boğaziçi University in 2014.
The center focuses on the local, regional, and international, social and political issues through research, scholarships, debate and conferences.
It invites leading figures from the government, political parties, businesses, historical and cultural institutions to have meaningful dialogues on issues and challenges pertinent to the region.
Housed in a tolerant and diverse institution, IRIS provides a neutral space for open and critical dialogue on challenging topics.
The Forum is held in March every year and focuses on the most pressing local and regional issues through in-depth panel discussions and debates.
[27] The Forum invites prominent speakers and specialists on topics from both within Iraq, the wider region, and Europe and the United States.
[28] The event explored the changing dynamics of the Middle East and created a very open debate on issues such as Iraq's internal and external relations, oil, security, Kurdistan and the Arab Spring, etc.
“For an Iraqi Kurd and someone who has attended many such events around the world, the Sulaimani Forum provided the most relevant discussions on Iraq, its politics and future,” reviewed Kurdish journalist and commentator Hiwa Osman on his blog.
[30] Others included Hoshyar Zebari, Ahmet Davutoğlu, Zalmay Khalilzad, Falah Al Fayad and Bernard Kouchner.