TEHRAN – Twenty-four percent of foreign students in Iran are studying in state-run universities, the deputy science minister has said.

More than 94,000 foreign students are studying in the country, and 24 percent of them, equaling 27,000, are studying in state-run universities, IRNA quoted Hasham Dadashpour as saying.

Attracting foreign students is among the priorities of the science ministry, he said, adding that president [Ebrahim Raisi] has emphasized the need for attracting foreign students.

All the universities across the country should be prepared to attract foreign students, Dadashpour stressed.

The Planning and Budget Organization is of the opinion that the higher education sector should help the national economy by attracting foreign students.

For the time being, 107 universities are authorized to enroll foreign students. Some 56,000 Iraqi students, 33,000 Afghan students, and 5,000 students from other countries are studying in Iranian universities, he concluded.

In December 2022, Dadashpour said the number of foreign students will double in Iranian universities in the next three years.

Universities should increase their interactions and scientific exchanges in order to attract international students and accelerate internationalization in the region and the world, he highlighted.

Iranian universities achieved good ranks at the global level and based on the evaluations of the world’s most prestigious institutions so that there is the capacity to attract international students, he said.

He mentioned holding the cultural and sports Olympiad for international students as a way to make them more aware of Iran’s capabilities, ISNA reported.

By the next three years, the number of foreign students from 120 countries will increase by two times in the universities of the country, he predicted.

Iran is among the 15 successful countries in attracting international students, according to Mohammad Javad Salmanpour, the deputy head of the Organization for Student Affairs.

The education of foreign students in Iran has grown significantly compared to previous years, even last year, it has doubled, he said.

However, it is far from the desired position; Because Iranian universities have higher capacities in all respects than the universities of regional or European countries, he noted.

Iran has the ability and capacity to have more than 250,000 foreign students by 2026, he stated.

These students are studying in different fields of science, research and technology, health and medical education, and also in the fields of humanities, Islamic sciences, Persian language and literature, law, fundamentals of Islamic law, management fields, economics, psychology, social sciences, as well as engineering, agricultural sciences, animal sciences, and basic sciences.

Health insurance coverage, longer residency, shorter visa processing time, and awarding exemplary students are among the conditions provided for foreign nationals studying in Iran, Jafar Razeqi, the deputy minister of science for foreign student affairs, has stated.

The residency is currently extended for one year, but for the first time, some international students have been granted long-term residency based on the length of their education.

One of the most important problems for non-Iranian students, especially in recent months, was the visa processing time, which took time due to problems at the host university and administrative processes in different parts of the organization, but now this time has been reduced by one third, he noted.

MG