TEHRAN – Over 40,000 students from 129 nationalities are studying at Iranian universities, Abdolhamid Alizadeh, director for overseas students at the science ministry, has said.

Under the Sixth Five-Year Development Plan (2016-2021), the number of foreign students should increase from the current one percent of student population in the country to 1.8 percent, he added.

Of the 40,000 foreign students in the country, 29,000 are studying at universities run by the science ministry and the rest are students at Islamic Azad universities and universities affiliated to the health ministry, he said, IRNA reported on Wednesday.

To improve services for the international students, consular offices have been set up in 15 provinces across the country, he concluded.

FB/MG