TEHRAN – Some 108,000 students from 117 countries have enrolled in Iranian universities for the current academic year (starting September 23), Mohammad Mohammadi Masoudi, an official with the Ministry of Science, has said.According to unofficial statistics, more than 300,000 Iranian students study abroad, each of whom is an opportunity for the country, he stated.According to official statistics, more than 95,000 Iranians are studying in various countries, with the largest numbers studying in the U.S., Germany, Italy, Turkey, Canada, Malaysia, England, Russia, Australia, Hungary, Cyprus, and France, respectively.Leading in attracting international studentsIran is among the 15 successful countries in attracting international students, according to Mohammad Javad Salmanpour, the deputy head of the Organization for Student Affairs.Currently, nearly 100,000 foreign nationals are studying in Iran, more than 90 percent of whom are from Iraq and Afghanistan. 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.Currently, nearly 100,000 foreign nationals are studying in Iran, more than 90 percent of whom are from Iraq and Afghanistan and the rest are from other countries.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.Foreign nationals constitute 1.64% of  studentsCurrently, foreign nationals constitute 1.64 percent of the country’s student population, which is about 0.14 percent higher than the goal set by the Sixth Five-Year National Development Plan (2016-2021), Mohammad Javad Salmanpour, the deputy head of the Organization for Student Affairs, said in April.Twenty-five percent of the foreign students studying in Iranian universities are Afghan nationals, he added.Afghan students attend Iranian universities in three ways; some enter the university by participating in the national entrance exam of Iran, and some others receive admission from universities that have non-Iranian student licenses.

The third group also attended the country's universities through scholarships, he explained.Health insurance coverage, longer residency, shorter visa processing time, and awarding exemplary students are among the conditions provided for foreign nationals studying in Iran.FB/MG