TEHRAN – In 2013, some 18,000 foreign nationals were studying in Iranian universities, now the figure has increased by 3.2 times, reaching up 58,000, Mojtaba Sedighi, deputy minister of science has stated, IRNA reported on Thursday.

Afshin Akhoundzadeh, head of the office for non-Iranian students at the Organization of Student Affairs, said in April that students from 133 countries are currently studying in Iranian universities.

Some 25,000 of the students are studying in universities affiliated with the Ministry of Science (4,000 with scholarship, 16,600 without a scholarship, and 10,000 through the Iranian national university entrance exam), while 25,000 others are receiving education in Azad University, and about 2,000 in medical universities.

Fifty-seven percent of the international students are studying for a master's degree, 27 percent for a bachelor's degree and 15 percent are educating to receive a Ph.D., while the remaining one percent study at other levels.

Law, Persian literature, and computer engineering are the top three fields of study for foreign students in Iran, while civil engineering, business management, political science, English language and literature, Quran and hadith sciences, international relations, and electrical engineering, and other majors with the highest number of non-Iranian students.

In 2013, 35 centers were allowed to admit foreign students, which has increased to 77 in 2021.

Abdol-Hamid Alizadeh, deputy minister of science has said that 40,000 foreign nationals are studying in 43 Iranian universities, 22,000 of whom are studying at the universities affiliated with the Ministry of Science, 8,000 at the Azad University, 3,000 at the Ministry of Health, and the rest at other universities.

FB/MG