TEHRAN - The Ministry of Science has facilitated residence for university students from Iraq, Lebanon, Yemen, and Syria.

The possibility of staying during studies for students from these countries has been provided in some provinces and soon this issue will be extended to all parts of the country, IRIB quoted deputy science minister Hashem Dadashpour as saying.

Students from these countries can enter and leave the country four times per year, he added.

Obtaining a residence permit every year and the requirement to do so is one of the problems of international students, he highlighted.

In this regard, through negotiations with several countries, including Syria and Lebanon, the problem of residence during the study has been solved.

For students of other countries, including Afghanistan, a three-year residence permit is issued from the second year of their studies, and students from this country can also enter and leave Iran without any problems, he explained.

More than 100,000 foreign students from 119 countries are studying in Iranian universities, and 94 universities in the country have permission to admit foreign students.

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.

The number of foreign students will double in Iranian universities in the next three years.

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.

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

MG