The University of Kordestan

Sanandaj is a city in the western part of Iran and the capital of Kurdistan province the total area of which is about 30 thousand square kilometers. Among the educational centers of Kurdistan province, the University of Kurdistan, whose central campus is located in Sanandaj city and several of its subsidiary centers are in other cities of the province, is considered the largest and oldest educational center of this province. During its five decades of activity, the University of Kurdistan has played an important role in the development of scientific and research activities in the western region of Iran with a large number of graduates at different levels and is considered one of the main centers of higher education in the region.

The History of the University of Kurdistan

The University of Kurdistan was initially established as the Higher College of Sanandaj, an affiliate of Tarbiat Moallem (Teacher Training) University of Tehran in the academic year 1974 CE. Two years later, this college became one of the campuses of the Razi University of Kermanshah and was renamed “Sanandaj Faculty of Teacher Training”. The activities of this center of higher education continued with the same format for about 15 years. During these years, the number of its departments increased as a result of which many more students could be admitted. Finally, in 1990 CE, when the pedagogical activities of this campus covered ‘Humanities’, ‘Basic Sciences, ‘Agriculture’, and ‘Technology’, Iran’s Ministry of Higher Education approved the establishment of the “University of Kurdistan”.

This university has proved to be a comprehensive educational, research-oriented, and entrepreneurial university that tries to play a role as an efficient social institution at the national and international levels.

Faculties

The University of Kurdistan has the following 8 faculties:

1. Faculty of Language and Literature
2. Faculty of Basic Science
3. Faculty of Art and Architecture
4. Faculty of Agriculture
5. Faculty of Engineering
6. Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
7. Faculty of Natural Resources
8. Faculty of Industry and Mining

Of these faculties, the Faculty of Engineering and Basic Sciences is located in the city of Bijar, and the Faculty of Industry and Mining is located in the city of Qorveh. The other seven faculties are located on the main campus of the university in Sanandaj City.

The number of faculty members of this university stands at more than 350, of which 154 are associate professors and professors. Since the establishment of the Kurdistan University, about 900 research projects have taken place and nearly 10,000 research articles have been written and published in various journals.

Research Institutes

The research institutes of the University of Kurdistan include: “Improvement and Development of Medicinal Plants”, “Strawberry Breeding and Cultivation”, “Water Science and Engineering”, “Smart/Micro Grids Research Center”, “Nanotechnology Research Institute” and “Northern Zagros Forestry Development Research Centers” and two research groups on “Family Pathology and Education” and “Dispersed Energy Production”.

The University also has a center called “APA” which is in charge of handling computer and network security system incidents. The High Performance Computing Center of this university facilitates conducting research projects that require complex and time-consuming calculations. The University of Kurdistan is also known as the Scientific Pole of Urban Regeneration and Beautification.

The International Status Activities of the University of Kurdistan

According to the reports made by the Shanghai Ranking Institute in 2023, the University of Kurdistan ranked 301 to 400 among the top 1000 universities of the world in the main field of natural sciences and geology and was introduced as one of the top universities of Iran. This university is recognized as one of the top universities in Iran in the field of biological sciences and agricultural sciences, with a global ranking of 401 to 500.

The scientific position of the University of Kurdistan has also raised its rank in other global evaluations such that according to the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, this university ranked 601 to 800 in the world and held the title of the 16th best university in Iran in the year 2023.

Among the 12 thousand students of the University of Kurdistan, more than 700 are non-Iranian students. By making an international call, this university, every year, invites those interested in studying at this university to send their documents. The university also provides its foreign students with appropriate consulate and educational facilities.

The cultural proximity of the University of Kurdistan with the Kurdistan Region of Iraq has brought close relations and scientific cooperation between the scientific and educational centers of Iran and Iraq such that a center called “National Authority for Cooperation with Iraqi Kurdistan” has been formed in this university.