Co-funded by the
Erasmus+ Programmeof the European Union

IRAN

Refugees
Country
Briefing

REACT aims to enhance themobility, employability andaccess to further studies forrefugees, displaced persons
and persons in a refugee-likesituation.

1

2
Turkmenistan

Turkey

Syria
Iraq

Iran

Egypt
Saudi Arabia

Iran
Official name: Islamic Republic of Iran
Location: 		
			
		
			

Iran is a country in the Middle East, bordering Turkmenistan,Azerbaijan and Armenia to the north, Afghanistan and 		Pakistan to the east, the Persian Gulf to the south andTurkey and Iraq to the west.

Population:

82,021,564 (July 2017 est.)

Ethnic groups: Persian, Azeri, Kurd, Baloch, Lur, Arab and Turkmen.
Languages:

The official language of Iran is Farsi (Persian).

This country briefing – especially developed to help with the evaluationof credentials of refugees, displaced persons and persons in a refugeelike situation – should give orientation on the education system in Iran in
the light of recent political and economic developments in this country. It
presents a systematised overview on its higher education system and links
to the available information sources that are useful for the evaluation ofqualifications of refugees coming from Iran, even in cases where candidates
present insufficient or lack of documentation.
Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Iran

3

History and current situation
The Islamic Republic of Iran was formerly known
as Persia and is one of the world’s oldest nationsin the world with a history dating back tens of
thousands of years with changing dynasties andrulers. In the late 18th century, foreign powers,
including Britain and Russia, took control of parts of
Persia. In 1921, a Persian army officer, Reza Khan,sought to end outside influence and took control.
In 1935, he renamed the country Iran. His son,
Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, eventually became theshah of Iran.
In 1979, tensions inside the country forced Pahlavi
to flee, ending the reign of the shahs in Iran.
Following the ‘Islamic revolution of 1979’ Iranbecame the Islamic Republic of Iran. Since thenhighly conservative religious leaders have ruled
the country. The Supreme Leader is the highest
power in the land and appoints the heads of the
judiciary, military and media. He also confirms theelection of the president. The first supreme leader
was Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, whose years in
power were marked by a long war and tensions
with other nations. During the period 1980-88, Iranfought an indecisive war with Iraq that eventually
expanded into the Persian Gulf and led to clashes
between the United States and Iran. Khomeini
died in 1989 and in the same year Ayatollah Ali
Khamenei was appointed for life.
Iran is extremely rich in natural resources and has
the second largest reserves in the world. However,poor economic planning, sanctions by Westerncountries and (past) conflicts have kept Iran poor
and isolated. In 2013 Hassan Rouhani was elected
as president. He is regarded as a moderate figure
with efforts to reach out to the world and rebuild
the struggling economy. Nevertheless, much of thetensions with the United States still exist today and
Iran’s economy remains unstable.
The state of human rights in Iran has been
criticized both by Iranians, NGO’s and international
human right activists. Human rights abuses arestill widespread; people are persecuted for politicalviews, gender, race/religion and sexuality. The
biggest wave of Iranian refugees occurred during
the 1980s and 1990s, following the fall of the shah,the Islamic revolution and the war between Iraq
and Iran.

Regarding higher education, almost all universities
in Iran were closed after the Islamic revolution.
Between 1980 and 1983 there was a revisionof the curriculum and the university system wasnationalized and desecularized. With the new
curriculum the focus was shifted to ideology andreligion, ‘Islamisation’ of the education system
was implemented on all levels. Today, the Iranianeducation system faces challenges. Internally,
conservative factions of the regime see higher
education as an ideological tool; externally,
sanctions imposed by the West make universities’
everyday operations significantly harder. Besides
that, Iran faces a shortage of educational
opportunities at graduate level, a factor which has
contributed to the out- migration of academics.

Iran is extremely rich innatural resources andhas the second largest
reserves in the world.
However, poor economicplanning, sanctions byWestern countries and(past) conflicts have kept
Iran poor and isolated.

4

Education chart
PhD

3-6

Master(University education)

2

Bachelor(University education)4

postgraduate

undergraduate

Associate Degree(University education)

2

National entrance examinations
Pre-University Certificate(Pre-university course)

1

Certificate of Completion of Secondary School Studies(Secondary general education)

03

Associate Degree(Post secondary institution)

2

Certificate of Completion of Secondary School Studies(Vocational education)

3

Certificate of General Education (Guidance cycle)

3

Primary school (primary education)5= Duration of education

Source: NUFFIC; www.nuffic.nl/en/subjects/education-and-diplomas-iran/

Education System
Primary and Secondary
Education

CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION OFSECONDARY SCHOOL STUDIESThe central government exerts strong control overeducation. The Iranian Ministry of Education is
responsible for primary and secondary education.
Basic education is compulsory and lasts until grade
9. Before 2012, the basic education cycle lasted
8 years and was divided into a five-year primaryeducation cycle and a three-year lower secondary(guidance cycle). Reforms adopted in 2012 haveextended the primary cycle to 6 years, lengthening
basic education to a total of 9 years.

Technical/vocational programme• Duration of schooling: 3 years• Type of education: vocational secondary
education• Purpose of diploma: access to Associate
Degrees at a postsecondary technical institute,or to pre-university courses

CERTIFICATE OF GENERAL EDUCATION• Duration of schooling: 3 years• Type of education: lower general secondary
education• Purpose of diploma: access to upper generalsecondary education

Academic programme – until early 1990s• Duration of schooling: 4 years• Type of education: general secondary education• Purpose of diploma: access to higher education
Theoretical programme – since early 1990s• Duration of schooling: 3 years• Type of education: secondary general education• Purpose of diploma: access to a pre-university
coursePRE-UNIVERSITY CERTIFICATEBACHELOR (kârshenâsî)• Duration of schooling: 1 year
• Type of education: upper general secondary
education• Purpose of diploma: access to higher education• Duration of schooling: 4 years• Type of education: professional or researchoriented• Purpose of diploma: access to university master’s
programmes, if the diploma is obtained with good
grades• If someone enters the third year of a bachelor’s
degree after obtaining an associate degree, theirbachelor’s degree is known as a discontinuous
bachelor (kârshenâsî napayvasteh).
A continuous bachelor (kârshenâsî payvasteh)means someone has studied the entire bachelor
programme

The secondary education underwent a reformin 2012, whereby the pre-university level was
removed and an extra year was added to primaryeducation. Pre-University Certificates will no longer
be conferred as of September 2019 and students
will be able to access higher education uponcompletion of secondary education.

Higher Education

MASTER (kârshenâsî-arshad)Higher education is provided by state universities
and private institutions. During and after the
revolution private institutions were taken over by
the government. The ban on private institutions
was lifted in the late 1980s, mainly in an attempt
to lighten the government’s financial burden. The
largest private institution is Islamic Azad University.

• Duration of schooling: 2 years• Type of education: professional or researchoriented• Purpose of diploma: access to doctoral
programmes, if the diploma is obtained withgood grades• If someone enters the master’s degree
programme after obtaining a bachelor’s
degree, their master’s degree is known as
a discontinuous master (kârshenâsî-arshad
napayvasteh). A continuous master (kârshenâsîarshad payvasteh) or Integrated master’s degree
is a unified degree (bachelor and master) insome professional specialisations such asarchitecture

Except for medical schools, all state-run universities
are under the direct supervision of the Iranian
Ministry of Science, Research and Technology.
Medical schools are under the supervision of
the Ministry of Health, Treatment, and Medical
Education. The Supreme Council of the Cultural
Revolution is the highest authority and controls thepolicy and regulations in the higher education area.
Completion of the Konkur (National University
Entrance Examination) is required to enter a higher
education programme (except for when applying
to the Islamic Azad University, which has its own
entrance examinations). The Konkur is a competitive
entrance examination that tests student knowledge
in Persian language and literature, history, a foreign
language and mathematics. Students that fail areallowed to repeat until they pass.

TYPES OF QUALIFICATIONSASSOCIATE DEGREE (kârdânî)• Duration of schooling: 2 years• Type of education: professional or researchoriented• Purpose of diploma: access to the third yearof bachelor’s programmes

PROFESSIONAL DOCTORATE• Duration of schooling: 5-7 years• Type of education: professional• Purpose of diploma: access to certain
professions• Architecture, dentistry, pharmacy and veterinaryscience require 5 or 6 years of full-time study.
Medicine requires 6 or 7 years

56

Grading system
A grading system ranging from 0 to 20 is applied
throughout the different levels of the Iranianeducation system. What is regarded as ‘satisfactory’grade can however vary. An average score of 10 isrequired in elementary education to transfer to thenext year, with a 7 being regarded as ‘satisfactory’(apart from Persian, in which a minimum grade of
10 is required).

In higher secondary education and higher
education up to the master level, a 10 isconsidered ‘satisfactory’. At the master level, a
12 is considered a passing grade and an averagescore of 14 is required to transfer to the next year
and to graduate. At the doctorate level, a score of
14 is required in every subject. The academic year
begins in September and ends in June.

Certification/Documentation samples• The file for secondary and higher education
should contain a diploma as well as an overview
of subjects/marks, both in Farsi, accompanied bya sworn translation• English translations are usually authorized by
the Ministry of Justice. Authorized translations
do not provide confirmation of authenticity• Higher education graduates are sometimes only
issued a temporary certificate. Possible reasonsfor this are that students still owe fees or havenot completed the military service that is typicallyrequired following undergraduate studies• For more information, please contact yournational ENIC-NARIC centre

Useful sources and links• Website of the Iranian Ministry of Science,
Research and Technology, in English:
www.msrt.ir/en• Website of the Iranian Ministry of Science,
Research and Technology, in Persian:www.msrt.ir/fa• The English version contains a list of some of
the recognized public universities, the Persian
version contains a list of all the different types ofrecognised institutions. These lists also include
contact information for the institutions• Iranian Calendar Converter:
www.iranchamber.com/calendar/converter/
iranian_calendar_converter.php

Existing country profiles• Education system Iran, NUFFIC: www.nuffic.nl/
en/subjects/education-and-diplomas-iran/• Education in Iran, WES: wenr.wes.org/2017/02/
education-in-iran• The Islamic Republic of Iran, Its Educational
System and Methods of Evaluation, ECE:
publications.ece.org/application/insights?id=40• World Data on Education, Iran, UNESCO:
www.ibe.unesco.org/fileadmin/user_upload/
Publications/WDE/2010/pdf-versions/Islamic_
Republic_of_Iran.pdf

Evaluation tips and recommendations
It is possible to email the Ministry of Science,
Research and Technology to verify theaccreditation of an educational institution:
cisc@msrt.ir

Link to good practices - European Area
of Recognition Manual:
www.eurorecognition.eu/manual/ear_manual_v_1.0.pdf

REFERENCES• www.nuffic.nl/en/subjects/education-and-diplomas-iran/• wenr.wes.org/2017/02/education-in-iran

7

What is REACT?
REACT (Refugees and Recognition – Toolkit 2) is an Erasmus+ supported project, whichaims to establish a more efficient and consistent approach to the recognition of refugees’
qualifications in Europe. The project builds on the recently completed Erasmus+ project«Refugees and Recognition», which developed a toolkit for the recognition of refugees’
qualifications. The project takes place between 2018 and 2020.

Goal
Kick-off seminar
2018

Fact finding seminar for the consortium
5 new refugee country briefings
E-learning modules based on country briefings
Seminar/training for HEIs

Testing of the toolkit at HEIs
2019

In addition to the testing of the toolkit, five refugeecountry briefings will be developed to help with theevaluation of credentials of refugees, displaced
persons and persons in a refugee-like situation.
The country briefings will present a systematised
overview of the educational systems in Iran,
Ethiopia, Somalia, Venezuela and the Democratic
Republic of Congo (DRC). The content will also
be presented in webinars held by experienced
credential evaluators.

TIMELINE

Identification of best practice cases
E-learning modules on best practice2020

The overall goal of REACT is to enhance themobility, employability and access to further
studies for refugees, displaced persons andpersons in a refugee-like situation – including those
without official documentation of their educational
background. Through undertaking testing of
the toolkit in cooperation with higher education
institutions from across Europe, the objective
is to identify the needs of the institutions anddevelop best practice cases that illustrate possible
pathways for admission of refugee students tofurther studies.

Final dissemination seminar

Activities
The project is structured around nine work
packages, developed to ensure a knowledgebased approach to the assessment of refugees’
qualifications.

MAIN PROJECT ACTIVITIES• Testing and adaptation of the toolkit, in close
cooperation with higher education institutions
from Norway, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy
and Ireland• Provide recommendations to higher education
institutions and identify best practice cases that
illustrate pathways for admission of refugee
students to further studies• Compilation of e-learning modules presenting
best practice cases on admission of students
with refugees’ qualifications to further studies• Development of five refugee country briefings
on the educational systems in Iran, Ethiopia,
Somalia, Venezuela and the Democratic
Republic of Congo (DRC)• Development of e-learning modules based on
the five refugee country briefings

WANT TO KNOW MORE?
To enable the accessability andtransparency of the project’s work, theresults will be made available on the
project’s website on a continuous basis.
Website:www.nokut.no/en/about-nokut/internationalcooperation/erasmus-projects/react-refugees-and-recognition
Email:
project-react@nokut.no

Drammensveien 288
Postboks 578,1327 Lysaker
Telefon: 21 02 18 00
www.nokut.no

The REACT-project is a cooperation between National Academic Recognition Information Centres (NARICs), higher
education institutions and interest organisations working closely with refugees and their educational qualifications.
Co-funded by the
Erasmus+ Programmeof the European Union

The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of thecontents, which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use,which may be made of the information contained therein.