Hawler Medical University is located in the city of Erbil (Hawler) in Iraqi Kurdistan Region. Hawler Medical University has been established by the Council of Ministers of the Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government in July 2005 and endorsed by the Council of Ministers of Iraqi Federal Government in March 2006. The university has been established to include in itself the five colleges that were belonging to Salahaddin University in Erbil (except College of Health Sciences). The colleges are: College of Medicine, College of Dentistry, College of Pharmacy, College of Nursing and College of Health Sciences.

The separation has come after a suggestion made by a number of academics from these colleges supported by the presidency of Salahaddin University as well as the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Researches.