According to the Public Relations Office of Iran’s Organization of Student Affairs, the third meeting of the National Task Force for International Student Recruitment was held with the attendance of Dr. Habiba, Iran’s Deputy Minister of Science, Research, and Technology and the President of the Organization of Student Affairs; Dr. Mahmoud Mehrdad Shokriyeh, the President of Iran University of Science and Technology; Dr. Ghanbari Baghestan, the Deputy for Scholarships and International Student Affairs; and Dr. Jafari, the Director General for International Students at the Organization of Student Affairs. The meeting was hosted by Iran University of Science and Technology.
At the session, Dr. Habiba described the recruitment of international students as a strategic solution to address the challenge of empty seats in universities and an effective tool for advancing Iran's scientific and cultural diplomacy in the region.
He stated that major and reputable universities in Tehran and provincial capitals should play a leading role in this regard, emphasizing that "The acceleration of foreign student recruitment should not come at the expense of decreasing academic quality; therefore, proficiency in the Persian language and adherence to educational standards are primary prerequisites for admission. Non-Iranian students who do not achieve academic success will be subject to the current educational regulations."
Referring to the mission of the Organization of Student Affairs in attracting foreign students, he said, "Expert analyses and pathology studies conducted over the past year indicate that two fundamental approaches should form the basis of policymaking in this regard."
The President of the Organization of Student Affairs added, "Firstly, Iran's major universities must lead the recruitment of international students. Unfortunately, in past years, the main responsibility was on some smaller universities, which harmed the branding and reputation of Iran's higher education. However, it is now expected that major universities, relying on their scientific standing, will play a more significant role."
"We must move beyond the traditional paradigm of internationalization. Utilizing new waves of internationalization in recruitment, particularly through transformational programs, is one of the necessities of higher education today, and this meeting has been convened with this very approach," Habiba stated.
He continued, "Over the past eighteen months, all policies and programs of the Organization of Student Affairs have been based on implementing structural transformations regarding recruitment. Now, it is the universities' turn to create a serious transformation in this area by adopting agile and innovative policies." The President of the Organization of Student Affairs warned about the declining demand for university admissions, stating, "In the not-too-distant future, we will face a crisis of empty seats. The number of entrance exam candidates, which at one point reached 1.7 million, decreased to about 900,000 last year, and even some programs at prestigious universities are facing a shortage of applicants."
He added, "On the other hand, there are over five million applicants worldwide seeking to study abroad, which represents a significant capacity that we must leverage. Despite the scientific standing of Iranian universities and the country being among the top 18 scientific systems in the world, our share of the international education market is not commensurate with our existing capabilities."
Habiba pointed to the experience of some regional countries, stating, "Countries like Turkey, with targeted policymaking, have managed to attract hundreds of thousands of foreign students, and we must also use this capacity to strengthen higher education in Iran."
He also referred to the measures taken to remove barriers to internationalization, saying, "Resolving some inter-agency issues, facilitating the movement of foreign students, granting residency for the duration of studies, exempting international students from restricted zone limitations, organizing recruitment agencies, obtaining permission for 30 top universities to teach in a second language, issuing permits for e-learning at six universities, administering the Persian proficiency exam 'Parsik', developing new scholarship guidelines for outstanding international students, and enabling these students to participate in Iran's innovation ecosystem are among the actions taken during this period."
In conclusion, the President of the Organization of Student Affairs highlighted the formation of the National Task Force for International Student Recruitment, comprised of 19 major universities, and noted, "This task force, by leveraging the input of universities and the participation of the executive body, has been a successful experience in participatory policymaking and can play an effective role in the internationalization of Iran's higher education."