University of Tehran

Although the history of higher education in Iran dates back to 17 centuries ago when Jundishapur University was established as a scientific center for imparting and teaching advanced sciences of the world, the first modern center of higher education, i.e. “Darolfonoon”, was established in the year 1851 CE. This center educated and trained many experts in the fields of engineering and military services and became a precursor to the establishment of the University of Tehran.

The History of the University of Tehran

The proposal to establish the University of Tehran was presented by Dr. Mahmoud Hesabi, an Iranian physicist and politician, in the year 1928. Dr. Hesabi was a PH.D. graduate from Sorbonne University and had received the Legion of Honour. He is known as the father of modern Iranian physics. In 1934 the Iranian National Assembly approved of the establishment of the University of Tehran.

The first buildings of the University of Tehran were designed by French engineers, and the establishment of this university was modeled like France’s centers of higher education. However, since the late 1940s, the way of management and presentation of courses came to be oriented like that of the American universities and some universities like Utah State University, University of Southern California, University of Virginia, Johns Hopkins University, University of Alabama and several other American universities cooperated with the University of Tehran.

During its lifetime, the University of Tehran has undergone many changes, and perhaps the most important of which has been the separation of the faculty of medical sciences that was transformed into the Tehran University of Medical Sciences in 1985.

Faculties and Campuses of the University of Tehran

As the largest center of higher education in Iran, the University of Tehran presently consists of several colleges and campuses. The term college refers to a group of faculties of the same disciplines in different parts of Iran and is different from a campus, which accommodates different faculties in one location. The colleges of the University of Tehran include:

1. Technical College comprising 11 faculties

2. College of Science comprising six faculties

3. Farabi College comprising four faculties

4. College of Fine Arts consisting of five faculties

5. College of Agriculture and Natural Resources comprising four faculties and the International Desert Research Center

In addition, 16 faculties also function independently. The Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics and the Institute of Geophysics are two institutes affiliated with the University of Tehran.

Besides its central campus, the following five regional campuses are affiliated with this university:

Alborz Campus: The establishment of this campus dates back to 2011 with the view to attract foreign students interested in studying in Iran. Since 2015, the students of this campus attend their classes together with daytime students of the University of Tehran.

Kish International Campus: This educational unit started its activities in 2007 and one of its objectives has been attracting foreign students. Currently, more than 2,000 students are studying on this campus at different levels and so far about 3,000 have graduated from it.

Persian Gulf International Campus (Qeshm): A relatively new campus, which was established in 2022 and began its activities with a memorandum of understanding signed between the University of Tehran and Qeshm Free Zone. This campus admits students in three levels of graduation, post-graduation, and doctorate.

Aras International Campus (Jolfa): This campus began its activities by admitting students in four master’s courses in the year 2009. Currently, the students of this campus are doing their master’s and doctorate studies in 40 and 50 different courses respectively.

Caspian International Campus (Rezvanshahr): This campus was inaugurated in 2022 and is supposed to play a role in establishing scientific relations with the countries of Central Asia.

Admitting Foreign Students

In addition to the international campuses of the University of Tehran that accept foreign students, this university upgraded the necessary infrastructure for admitting non-Iranian students. Foreign students who are interested in studying at this university can submit their documents online in the system that has been specially set up for this purpose and also consult with educational experts and concerned professors.

The process of granting admission to foreign students at the University of Tehran and its campuses involves the evaluation of their pre-university mark sheets.