Updated November 2026 Since 2025, Iran’s Ministry of Science has required international students to pass a Persian Language Proficiency Test, and applications now run through the university and the national student affairs portal rather than travel agencies.
To get an Iranian student visa, you first need a place at an Iranian university, school or seminary. Once you are admitted, the institution registers you with the Ministry of Science’s student affairs system, you receive a reference code, and you take that code to an Iranian embassy or consulate to have the education visa (Type E) issued. This guide walks through each step, the documents you will need, and what to expect after you arrive.
What the Iranian student visa is
The education visa, known as visa Type E, is for foreign nationals who come to Iran to study or carry out research. It covers:
- school pupils
- undergraduate and postgraduate university students
- students at religious seminaries
- researchers and visiting scholars
You cannot study full-time on a tourist visa. The education visa is tied to your admission, so you must have your acceptance confirmed before you apply. For other categories, see our guide to Iran visa types.
Step 1: Choose a university and course
Start early, ideally a full academic year before you want to begin. Iranian universities are particularly strong in Persian language and literature, history, archaeology, Islamic studies, engineering and medicine, and they attract many students from neighbouring countries, the Middle East and Central and South Asia.
Research the departments and teaching staff in your field and contact them directly. A professor who is willing to supervise you, especially at postgraduate level, can make the process far smoother. Then get in touch with the university’s international office or international students’ department, which handles foreign applicants.
Be prepared for replies in Persian. If you do not read Persian yet, say so clearly in your first message and on your application form.
Step 2: Meet the language requirement
Most degree programmes in Iran are taught in Persian. In April 2025 the University of Tehran announced that, under a new directive from the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology, international students must take a Persian Language Proficiency Test and submit the certificate to their university. Some universities also require a period of Persian study before you start your degree, and a few postgraduate programmes accept English instead. Ask your chosen university exactly what it requires for your level and course.
Starting Persian before you arrive pays off, both for the test and for everyday life in Iran.
Step 3: Apply for admission
Each university sets its own application process, usually through an online portal. Expect to provide:
- a completed application form
- certificates and official transcripts, usually translated into English or Persian
- a copy of your passport
- recent photographs
- recommendation letters, particularly for postgraduate study
- evidence that you can support yourself financially
Iranian universities accept a wide range of qualifications, including national school-leaving certificates, A-levels, the International Baccalaureate, BTEC Nationals and previous university degrees. Some may ask you to sit an exam or attend an online interview. Original documents usually have to be certified by the Iranian embassy in your country before you register.
Step 4: Get your reference code
Once the university accepts you, it obtains final approval from the Ministry of Science (or, for medical courses, the Ministry of Health). You then upload your documents to the Ministry of Science’s student affairs portal, saorg.ir, as instructed by your university. When the application is approved, you are given a visa reference code, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs authorises your visa.
Processing times vary by nationality and by university, so allow at least three months between applying for the code and your planned arrival.
Step 5: Collect the visa at an embassy or consulate
Take your reference code to the Iranian embassy or consulate that covers your place of residence. Requirements vary between missions, but you should expect to need:
- your original passport, valid for at least six months
- your admission letter or grant notice from the university
- a completed visa application form
- recent passport photographs; women should wear a headscarf in the photo
- proof of funds, such as a bank statement
- notarised consent from a parent or guardian if you are under 18
- the visa fee, which depends on your nationality and the mission
You may be asked to attend an interview. Check the fee and payment method with the embassy before you go, as some missions only take cash or bank transfers.
After you arrive
- Extend your visa into residence. The visa itself only lets you enter. Your university’s international office will help you extend it to cover your studies, usually within your first weeks; bring spare passport photos.
- Exit permission. Students on an education visa usually need to arrange an exit visa through their university before leaving Iran, so give the office a week or more’s notice before any trip home.
- Accommodation. Ask about university dormitories as soon as you are accepted, as places for foreign students can be limited. If you rent privately, our guides to living in Tehran will help.
- Money. Foreign bank cards do not work in Iran because of sanctions, so bring enough cash for your first months and open a local bank account once you have your residence documents. Check living costs on our Iran prices tracker.
- Health insurance. Many universities offer student health insurance through their international office.
Major universities that accept international students
Almost every large public university in Iran admits foreign students. The best-known include:
- Tehran: University of Tehran, Sharif University of Technology, Amirkabir University of Technology, Iran University of Science and Technology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tarbiat Modares University, Allameh Tabataba’i University, Alzahra University (women only), K.N. Toosi University of Technology, Kharazmi University, University of Art, and the medical universities of Tehran, Iran and Shahid Beheshti.
- Isfahan: University of Isfahan, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Art University of Isfahan and the University of Kashan.
- Shiraz: Shiraz University, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences and Shiraz University of Technology.
- Tabriz: University of Tabriz, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Sahand University of Technology and Azarbaijan Shahid Madani University.
- Nationwide: Islamic Azad University, a large private university with branches in most cities, and Al-Mustafa International University for religious studies.
Check each university’s international office website for current programmes, deadlines and fees.
Learn the Persian: Get a head start on the language test with our free Learn Persian course, with lessons in Persian script and easy transliteration.
