Sharif University of Technology and Isfahan University of Technology (IUST) have been ranked 40 and 63 respectively in Times Higher Education’s rankings of the top 100 world universities under 50 years of age.

This news should not come as a surprise since Iran, in spite of a challenging socio-political environment, has a burgeoning and high quality Higher Education system.

The Islamic Republic of Iran has 318 universities in the state sector under the Ministry of Science, Research, and Technology (MSRT) and about the same number of universities in the state sector under the Ministry of Health and Medical Education. There are a further 270 teacher training colleges under the MSRT,30 additional universities under other Ministries, and the Iranian Open University has 550 branch offices. Vocational education has also found its footing with 739 branches of the Applied Science University offering TVET courses. There are 340 non-governmental / private universities.

But does this make Iran a market for students interested in International higher education?

It is estimated there are between 50,000 to 70,000 Iranian students studying overseas. In 2011-12 around 3765 Iranian students were studying in the UK, though the number has since dropped to below 2500 due to restrictions on the Tier 2 Visa, fluctuations in the national currency, and the closure of the UK Embassy in Tehran in 2011. The UK government announced last year that they are to reopen the Embassy, and we are optimistic that will happen in the next 6 months Iranian students are clearly looking at international destinations for study as there are over 8,000 Iranian students in Germany and 12,000 in the USA. Medical and engineering are the most popular subjects for over 20,000 Iranian students studying in Malaysia and India, where they also have access to scholarships.

Iran elected a new President in 2013. What is the government’s position on internationalising Higher Education for Iranian students?

Since the election of President Rouhani in 2013, Iran has emerged from years of isolation. President Rouhani, who graduated with a PhD from Glasgow Caledonian University, has emphasised the need for urgent and more realistic international collaborations in all areas, including education and research. The MSRT has recently extended the responsibility of its science attaché in Europe to cover the UK in order to develop new areas for collaboration with the UK’s education sector and to enrich pre-existing links between universities.

On the ground, the government of Iran has sponsored hundreds of PhD students to study in Germany and France in 2015/16.   

Why should UK institutions be interested in Iran?

Iran is one of the biggest countries in the region and one of the youngest in the world in terms of population with more than half of its 75 million people under 30 years of age. Primary, secondary, and state-sector tertiary education in Iran is free and has been developed significantly by the efforts of the Iranian government.

Therefore there are unique opportunities for international education providers.

Nationally there exists high regard and value for education in Iran, which has prompted Iranians from younger generations to pursue international opportunities in recent years.

At the same time, Iran’s competitive and highly advanced science education and technology-based research provides opportunities for the UK HE sector to explore international collaboration.

How can SIEM help your Institution explore Iran’s HE market?  

We believe projects around Higher Education collaboration will bring immediate benefit to the UK Higher Education sector. Considering the young and talented population in Iran, the demand for higher education will only keep rising.

SIEM is now focusing on promoting academic collaboration and scientific partnerships through several different projects. Another area of priority in our HE strategy in Iran is around two-way academic mobility and student exchange to foster research links.

Do get in touch with us

The British Council’s Iran operations are currently based out of London, though we are aiming to reopen an office in Iran in the near future. Our team in London is committed towards enhancing and promoting relationships between the UK HE sector and audiences in Iran.

You may contact

Dr Fatemeh Ahmadi,
Science, Research and Higher Education Manager Iran
E: Fatemeh.ahmadi@britishcouncil.org
T +44 (0) 207 389 4763
M +44 (0)7766803093

Or

Ottolie Wekezer
Business Development Manager
SIEM South Asia
E: Ottolie.wekezer@in.britishcouncil.org

CC siemsouthasia@britishcouncil.org

Iran’s Universities are not new to these world rankings appearances, with Isfahan University of Technology moving several notches higher compared to their position last year.

Please find short profiles of both ranked Iranian Institutions given below:

Isfahan University of Technology (IUST) was originally founded in 1974 as part of a long term plan to make the institution the largest university in the Middle East. IUST was designed on the MIT and University of Illinois models. Today IUST enjoys one of the largest university campuses in Iran with more than 10,000 students in twelve independent departments and faculties.  The university has maintained its reputation for the quality of education and research. Every year students around Iran compete for admission in graduate, postgraduate, and PhD programs. IUST presents one of the best engineering programs nationwide and is known for the national radar project and the design and implementation of the first Iranian submarine that was carried out at Subsea Research and Development centre. Isfahan University of Technology is ranked 3rd in Iran and 65 in top 100 Universities under 100 in the world

Sharif University of Technology is one of the largest engineering schools in the Islamic Republic of Iran. It was established in 1966 as a branch of Massachusetts Institute of Technology USA.  The student body consists of about 6,000 undergraduate students and 4,700 graduate students across 15 main departments from all the 30 provinces of Iran. Undergraduate, postgraduate, and PhD admission to Sharif is limited to the top 1 percent of students who pass the national entrance examination administered annually by the Iranian ministry of Science, Technology and Research. The university is best known for the quality of research and teaching and the number of national projects in key areas of science and technology. The university has been involved with leading international research centres like CERN in Math and Science. Sharif University is the highest ranked technical university in Iran, 1st in the Middle East, 6th in Asia, and 27th in the world in Times Higher Education's top 100 universities under 50. Among Sharif’s alumni is Maryam Mirzakhani, who became both the first woman in the world and the first Iranian in 2014 to be awarded the Fields Medal, the most prestigious award in mathematics.