TEHRAN – 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 first test is scheduled to be held in mid-February, IRNA quoted Abbas Qanbari-Baghestan, an official with the Organization of Student Affairs, as saying.

The test will include 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 started on September 22, 2024.

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

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.

These students are mainly from Afghanistan, India, Iraq, and Pakistan.

In 2024, Hashem Dadashpour, the former head of the Organization of Student Affairs, said that the organization would offer new services to foreign students studying in the country’s universities, ISNA reported.

Moreover, online language learning systems would be launched for applicants to take Persian language courses before entering Iran and prepare to study in universities, he added.

In September 2023, Dadashpour said the ministry of science was planning to increase the number of international students to some 320,000 from currently around 100,000 by 2026.

“Strengthening scientific authority, developing public diplomacy, and expanding the Persian language are the three main reasons for attracting international students,” Dadashpour said, IRIB reported.

MT/MG