TEHRAN – A total of 268 Iraqi students have taken the Persian Language Proficiency Test at six centers across Iraq, marking a more than threefold increase from the 78 participants recorded last year.

The test was organized with the support of Iran’s scientific counselor in Iraq and administered in Baghdad, Najaf, Wasit, Karbala, Basra, and Erbil.

Proficiency in Persian helps international students communicate more effectively with professors and classmates, pursue their studies at Iranian universities, and access academic resources in the language. These capabilities can also contribute to strengthening educational and academic ties between Iran and Iraq.
The Persian Language Proficiency Test is held three times a year both in Iran and in the countries that have Persian Language chairs, concurrently. The test has general and academic modules.

Apart from university students, foreign nationals who want to live, work, run businesses, and establish international offices in Iran, or study in Iranian schools are required to take the test.

On January 24, Abbas Qanbari-Baghestan, an official with the Organization of Student Affairs, said: “Attaining a specified score in learning the Persian language will be a key requirement for foreign students to be admitted to Iranian universities from the next academic year, which will start in fall 2026.” The test includes listening, speaking, and writing sections, he added.

Highlighting the importance of providing quality education for international students, the official said Persian language teaching centers play a key role in attracting foreign students and preparing them to major in universities. So, they should do their best to employ experienced professors to provide the best educational courses to help foreign students learn the Persian language.

Nearly 60,000 foreign students are currently studying in Iranian universities, compared with 35,000 students in the past Iranian academic year, which started on September 22, 2024.

Despite existing challenges, Iran has managed to attract students from 101 countries, Saeed Habiba, the head of the Organization of Student Affairs, said in October 2025.

The scientific capacity of the country’s universities and their positive record in international cooperation are a valuable opportunity that must be seized to transform the presence of foreign students into a national discourse and strategic planning, the official said, adding that the students are mainly from Afghanistan, India, Iraq, and Pakistan.

Attracting 320,000 intl. students by 2028 on agenda

According to the Seventh National Development Plan (2023-2028), the country is projected to increase the number of international students to 320,000 from currently around 60,000.

To this end, the higher education system needs to adopt some institutional and developmental approaches in organizations associated with foreign students, Mehr news agency reported.

In this regard, the parliament research center has evaluated Iran’s situation in attracting international students and measures that need to be taken into account.

According to the report, the number of foreign students in the country has grown from 13,767 in Iranian year 1394 (2015 – 2016) to 68,563 in 1403 (2024 -2025). The number of educational institutions that are allowed to accept foreign students has noticeably increased from 45 to 206 over the past decade.

The report also shows that 13 acts, such as providing short-time sabbaticals, granting visas, establishing a center for foreign student graduates, and holding remedial courses, have been developed and officially accepted by the parliament as part of educational charter for foreign students; however, they have not been implemented in time.

Also major organizations and institutions of the country have no participation in planning cultural programs for foreign students.

A lack of strategic comprehensive marketing skills, and bureaucratic and time-consuming correspondence were among other recognized problems.

The parliament research center has put forward some proposals to help attract more international students. The most important one highlights adopting an approach that focuses on generating income, soft cultural power, and expanding science.

The other suggestion emphasizes the importance of boosting south-south international relations, that is developing political and economic interactions with highly populated countries like Pakistan, India, Egypt and some countries in Central Asia.

Ongoing evaluation of other countries’ policies in attracting students, developing software and hardware infrastructures, stable and secure network, as well as increasing the number of scholarships are among other suggested solutions.

Before the US-Israeli war against Iran, nearly 60,000 foreign students from 101 countries, mainly from Afghanistan, India, Iraq, and Pakistan, were studying in Iran.

The Ministry of Science has announced that educational programs for foreign university students present in the country will continue despite the unfavorable conditions caused by the imposed war.

All universities have been asked to ensure that all international students benefit from the educational facilities and capacities of the universities by adopting innovative measures, including preparing offline educational packages, developing intensive summer training courses, and anticipating the possibility of completing practical courses in the coming years, in addition to continuing online education, IRNA reported.

These measures and plans should be implemented in a way that ensures that international students do not suffer academic, training, or even financial losses due to the conditions resulting from the imposed war.

Science Minister Hossein Simaei-Sarraf has said over 30 Iranian universities had been directly attacked by the United States and Israel since the war began in late February.

Five university professors and more than 60 students had been killed in the strikes, added Simaei-Sarraf, describing attacks on Iranian infrastructure as “crimes against humanity.”

“The main reason the enemy targeted this sensitive infrastructure was that they did not want us to gain access to this technology,” he said, adding that many Iranians abroad have contacted the university, offering to help fund its restoration.

MT/MG