American University of Iraq, Sulaimani (AUIS) is the first non-governmental, not-for-profit, American-style university in Iraq. Founded in 2007 and operated for the public benefit, it is also the first non-governmental university in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region to be accredited by both the federal Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government. It is the only certified member in Iraq of the Association of American International Colleges and Universities (AAICU). The University welcomes students, 35 percent of whom are women, from diverse communities throughout Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.