Al-Mustaqbal University has achieved a new academic milestone, reinforcing its record of excellence after the release of the 2026 University Ranking by Academic Performance (URAP), where it maintained its position as the top-ranked private university and college in Iraq for the third consecutive year. This achievement reflects the university’s continued leadership among Iraq’s private higher education institutions, following its first-place ranking in both the 2024 and 2025 editions of URAP. The accomplishment highlights the success of the university’s strategic vision in advancing educational quality and promoting internationally recognized research excellence. At the national level, Al-Mustaqbal University ranked third among all Iraqi public and private universities, following the University of Baghdad and the University of Technology, further demonstrating its growing academic reputation and influential role within Iraq’s higher education sector. The ranking results also revealed remarkable global progress, with the university advancing by 294 positions compared to the previous year. This improvement reflects the increasing quality and impact of its research output, as well as the expansion of its international academic collaborations and scientific activities. URAP is recognized as one of the most reputable global university rankings, relying on comprehensive indicators of academic and research performance based on data from Clarivate Analytics. These indicators include research productivity, citation impact, publication quality, and international academic collaboration. This latest achievement underscores Al-Mustaqbal University’s commitment to academic and research excellence and its ongoing efforts to strengthen its presence in prestigious global rankings, contributing to the advancement of Iraqi higher education on the international stage. Almustaqbal University, The First University in Iraq.