INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
TEHRAN - The Seventh National Development Plan (2023-2027) has obliged the Ministry of Science to increase the number of foreign nationals
studying in the country.The plan emphasizes the need to boost science diplomacy by increasing foreign students by up to 10 percent, IRNA
reported.It also highlights admitting non-Iranian scientists in research and technology education fields in universities and government
institutes, as well as developing student exchange programs.Currently, more than 94,000 foreign students are studying in Iran, of whom 24
percent (about 27,000 students), are studying in government universities.Therefore, international students comprise about three percent of
some 3.2 million university students studying in the country.The minister of science, research, and technology has said the situation will
constructive competition between the universities in this field, Science Minister Mohammad-Ali Zolfigol has said.In fact, the ground is
to try to promote diversity in the admission of international students, ILNA quoted deputy science minister Hashem Dadashpour as saying.In
all nationalities, although, in line with the goals and strategic policies of higher education, we have priority over the countries of
Of course, fields such as law, computer, electronics engineering, medicine, accounting, Persian language and literature, civil engineering,
business management, physical education, economics, Arabic language and literature, English language, psychology, mechanical engineering,
Iraq, Lebanon, Yemen, and Syria, Dadashpour said in March.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.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.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
