CUS is one of the 30 private institutions of higher education recognised by regional government of Kurdistan. It is located in Sulaimaniya, a city in the east of Iraqi Kurdistan, sometimes referred to as the “capital of education”, which is surrounded by mountains in three directions.
CUS was set up in 2011, with the intention of producing graduates "committed to the idea of developing one’s total self – intellectually, emotionally and spiritually" and "prepared for the 21st-century globalised workforce”.
Starting with departments of English language, law and computer science, it expanded to include business administration in 2012, architectural engineering in 2014 and medical laboratory analysis in 2019. The most recent departmental additions are human resources management and digital marketing management, both in 2022.
In the 2022-23 academic year, CUS produced 255 graduates, with the largest groups coming from medical laboratory analysis (77), law (60) and business administration (35). Computer science accounted for 16, English language for 35 and translation for 17.
Most provision is English-medium, and one of the most important activities of its Zakat Institute has been to organise intensive language-training courses for students in partnership with the English department. Other Zakat Institute provision includes legal consultancy.
In 2015, the regional government rated CUS the best private university in Iraqi Kurdistan. It publishes its own biannual scientific journal, SJCUS, while CUS researchers were partners with other universities in a significant study into the health impact of industrial waste on Sulaimaniya.
