{"id":336992,"date":"2025-09-15T20:27:27","date_gmt":"2025-09-15T19:27:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/?p=336992"},"modified":"2025-09-15T20:27:27","modified_gmt":"2025-09-15T19:27:27","slug":"islamic-azad-university-turns-from-education-for-all-into-a-market-for-degrees-students-say","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/economy\/islamic-azad-university-turns-from-education-for-all-into-a-market-for-degrees-students-say\/","title":{"rendered":"Islamic Azad University Turns from \u2018Education for All\u2019 into a Market for Degrees, Students Say"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Islamic
Islamic Azad University<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Three-minute read<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Islamic Azad University was established with the supposed promise of widening access to higher education across Iranian society. Today, however, that founding mission is unsurprisingly in tatters. Rampant tuition inflation \u2014 especially in medical fields \u2014 has transformed the university into what students call a \u201cmoney-making machine,\u201d prioritizing revenue over learning and turning higher education into an exclusive privilege for the wealthy. This is yet another manifestation of the regime\u2019s corruption, using public welfare and service projects as a cover to plunder the wealth of the Iranian people.<\/p>\n

According to state-affiliated reports, and following recent decisions by the university\u2019s central board of trustees, annual tuition for medicine, dentistry, and pharmacy for the 2025\u20132026 academic year has been set between 200 and 218 million tomans. In Iran\u2019s current economic climate<\/a>, these figures have provoked widespread alarm and protest among students and families. The result is clear: whole segments of society are being shut out of critical professional fields, and higher education risks becoming a luxury rather than a public good.<\/p>\n

Students shoulder the burden alone<\/h2>\n

A central grievance is the absence of meaningful student support systems. Unlike many higher-education systems worldwide \u2014 including private institutions that still provide scholarships, loans, and flexible payment plans \u2014 students at Islamic Azad face relentless annual increases with no viable financial aid. One student summed up the anger: \u201cThis is no longer a university; it\u2019s a market selling degrees at the price of people\u2019s blood.\u201d The psychological and economic strain on families is severe and growing.<\/p>\n

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Escalating Tuition at Islamic Azad University Sparks #Student<\/a> Outrage Amid Regime\u2019s Economic Failureshttps:\/\/t.co\/FbJlbbPS7g<\/a><\/p>\n

— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) August 31, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n