This research aims to clarify the impact of overqualification on the proactive performance of a sample of 178 employees working at the University of Thi-Qar's administration. The main idea of the study revolves around the fact that individuals' perception of possessing qualifications and abilities exceeding job requirements directly affects proactive performance. The current research adopted a questionnaire to collecting data for the variables, relying on pre-existing scales from previous studies. Two main hypotheses were considered: first, there is a statistically significant relationship between overqualification and proactive performance; and second, there is a statistically significant correlation between overqualification and proactive performance. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 27. The study confirmed its hypotheses, leading to a set of conclusions, the most important of which is that overqualification occurred at a moderate level, meaning that the sample perceived themselves as moderately overqualified in their jobs. This could be due to a partial gap between employees' qualifications and the requirements of their jobs. The research also recommended the necessity of redesigning jobs to better align with individual qualifications. The university should also provide ongoing development training to increase or fully utilize the capabilities and potential of its employees, and to bridge the gaps between qualifications and job requirements.