Admissions to undergraduate and graduate programs in 600 educational majors (300 each in humanities and science) in the country’s universities will be revised by the end of the current year (March 20, 2016), said Mohammad Farhadi, minister of science, research and technology.
Students’ admission in 160 educational fields will also be postponed till such time all facilities are in place.
Farhadi said the admission capacity of state and Azad universities is determined by the Supreme Council for Higher Education. According to the council’s guidelines, the number of students admitted to master’s and PhD programs should not exceed 20 and 7 respectively, Alef News Agency reported.
“The directive was not being observed by many universities, but from the beginning of the current year (started March 21) we are actively monitoring compliance of the rules and any violation will be dealt with as per law, he said.
Proportionate
The number of students in universities should be proportionate to the facilities available.
If extra students, contrary to the rules are admitted, then universities should provide additional amenities or transfer students to other academic institutions.
The Ministry of Science seeks to establish capacities in different majors prior to admission based on the national demand, he said.
Iran has a large network of private, public and state affiliated universities offering degrees in higher education. State-run universities are under the direct supervision of the Ministry of Science (for non-medical universities) and the Ministry of Health and Medical Education (for medical schools).
The Islamic Azad University (IAU) with an enrollment of 1.5 million students is the world’s third largest university and the world’s largest private university system. It has branches and universities in the U.A.E, United Kingdom, Tanzania, Lebanon, Armenia, Malaysia, Afghanistan and Tajikistan and has plans to establish more campuses including in Canada, in the near future.
