University of Kobani
On January 26, 2015, after months of fierce fightings and popular resistance, the people and brave fighters from People's Defense Units (YPG) and Women's Defense Units (YPJ) liberated the city of Kobani. Empowered by regional forces, Da’esh (ISIS) had led an annihilation war against our lands and people. It aimed to destroy the Kurdish people’s resistance and all the achievements of the Rojava Revolution for the North and East region of Syria. After liberation, Kobani became a symbol of resistance and an alternative against dark forces that have brought death, destruction, and despair to the region. Months after its liberation, the autonomous administration of the region started a campaign of reconstructing Kobani. One of the most important aspects of this campaign was rebuilding educational infrastructures, and the establishment of a university became a priority. This is when the University of Kobani was born.
The University of Kobani is one of the four universities in the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES). It was established on December 10, 2017, starting with two faculties of Kurdish language and literature and early education. However, the university has been growing, and many faculties and departments have been established since. There is currently one campus of the university, which is located in the city of Kobani. Similar to other universities of the Northeast region of Syria, the University of Kobani was established and had to manage its daily affairs in the environment of war, the ongoing threats from Jihadist groups, Turkish army’s invasion and military operations, and years of destruction in Syria. Its primary mission has been to realize the promise of the historic resistance of the city of Kobani against Da’esh (Islamic State) in higher education; the promise of knowledge, co-existence, and revolutionary pedagogy.
Şîrîn Mislim
Şîrîn Mislim
Şîrîn Mislim
Co-President
Şervan Mislim
Şîrîn Mislim
Şîrîn Mislim
Co-President
Mihemed Reşîd
Şîrîn Mislim
Xezna Ibrahîm
Director of Center for Academic Affairs
Xezna Ibrahîm
Hîva Mihemed Alî
Xezna Ibrahîm
Co-President of the Faculty of Sciences and Faculty of Education
Mistefa Moro
Hîva Mihemed Alî
Hîva Mihemed Alî
Co-President of the Faculty of Sciences and School of Education
Hîva Mihemed Alî
Hîva Mihemed Alî
Hîva Mihemed Alî
Co-president of the Faculty of Language and Literature
Egîd Nasro
Newroz Henîfî
Mehmûd Ebdî
Co-president of the Faculty of Language and Literature
Mehmûd Ebdî
Newroz Henîfî
Mehmûd Ebdî
Director of the School of Medicine and the School of Technical Education
Newroz Henîfî
Newroz Henîfî
Newroz Henîfî
Director of the School of Law and Administration
Center for Academic Affairs
This center oversees academic affairs of the university. There are three main committees active in this center: the academic evaluation committee, research committee, and graduate studies committee. This center works with the community to recruit teachers who have their work and studies interrupted because of the war and to benefit from their experiences in education and research programs of the university. This center is also responsible to train educators and academic staff at the university and prepare the new generation of academics. Recently, the main focus of this center has been to expand the education projects of the university and create a program of graduate studies.
Institute of Graduate Studies
After months of research and explorations, the Institute of Graduate Studies at the University of Kobani was established on January 24, 2022, with a program in Kurdish Language and Literature at the Masters of Arts level. The Master of Arts degree program is offered in two sub-divisions of Kurdish Linguistics and Kurdish Literature, and they are both conducted in two years inn addition to 4 months of preparation. 28 students in total are enrolled in this program, among them are academic staff at both Universities of Kobani and University of Rojava. All of the instructors of this program are established professors of Kurdish language and literature around the world who are contributing remotely via virtual platforms.
Students
543 students are registered in different programs of the university. A council of students that consists of 42 students, all representatives of programs of studies, represents the student body of the university. The council has its own regulations, and several committees of the council in areas such as science, technology, art, and cultural and recreational activities are active in the everyday life of the university. Two representatives from this council take part in the governing council of the university. These representatives for the 2021-2022 academic year are: Malik Qetwan, student of the School of Law and Administration and Aldîn Mihemed, student of the School of Technical Education.
Alumni
On October 18, 2021, the first cohort of 32 students graduated from the University of Kobani from the BSc and BA programs in Physics (4 students), Laboratory (12), Chemistry (11), and Kurdish Language and Literature (5). Some of these students have already been hired by the university to contribute to its education and research programs.
Malik Qetwan
Aldîn Mihemed
Aldîn Mihemed
Student Representative at the University's Governing Council
Aldîn Mihemed
Aldîn Mihemed
Aldîn Mihemed
Student Representative at the University's Governing Council
International Relations
After the beginning of the Rojava Revolution, an alternative in the region that insists on popular resistance, grassroots democracy, women’s movement, communal life, and ecological co-existence was born. This revolution showed that another future that promises a just and free society is not only possible for the people of the region, but it is in the making. Many around the globe showed solidarity with Rojava, especially after the Kobani resistance.
The University of Kobani firmly believes that this revolution can only grow with global solidarity. Therefore, we are looking forward to expanding our networks of solidarity and collaboration to enrich our programs of education and research by benefiting from academics, institutes, and universities that would like to work with us.
There are many ways that the university can engage in international collaborations. For example, in 2020, the university of Kobani signed a Memorandum of Agreement with the University of Tennessee. Another example is the MA program in Kurdish language and literature that we just started in collaboration with well-established academics of Kurdish studies around the world . Scholars from universities such as the Institut national des langues et civilisations orientales (INALCO), Carleton University, and the University of Koy Sanjagh (Iraqi Kurdistan) are instructors in this MA program. Many more scholars have been advising the University of Kobani and sharing their experiences and expertise with students and staff. The university has organized panels and talks with well-known intellectuals such as Slavoj Zizek and Eric Fassin, and continues to build connections with academics around the world.
An office of foreign relations oversees the university’s international affairs. Under the supervision of this office, a “committee for strategic relations" have been established to explore any potential for academic collaborations in coordination with all entities of The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES).
Learn More
The University's website is currently under construction. Email us at kobaniuni@kobaniuni.ac
Links to our Facebook and YouTube pages are below.
