Why Do Indian Students Go To Iran For Studies?

With more than 1,500 Indian students, Iran is considered one of the popular countries for higher studies. Many Indian students have gone to Iran for higher studies, particularly for medical education and Health Sciences. Each year, 20,000 to 25,000 Indian students go abroad to study medicine. One of the major driving forces why Indian students go to Iran for MBBS is due to the competitive NEET entrance exam and intense competition for limited government medical seats in India and expensive private medical universities in India. Iran is one of the viable options for Indian students as the tuition fee and living expenses are remarkably cheaper than in other Western countries, along with various scholarship opportunities. Concisely, Indian students choose Iran for studies because of the country’s reputation for offering affordable, high-quality education in a diverse field of study and global career opportunities.

This Story also Contains

1. Number Of Indian Students in Iran in 2025
2. Major Reasons Why Indian Students Go to Iran For Higher Studies
3. Low Tuition Fees Universities in Iran For Indian Students
4. Why Indian Students Are Choosing Iran to Study Medicine?

The majority of Indian students studying in Iranian universities often choose Medicine and Health Sciences for higher education due to modern infrastructure and early clinical exposure. Beyond MBBS in Iran, a few of the popular courses for international students include Engineering and Technology, Political Science and International Relations, Physical Sciences, and Health Tourism Management. It is visible that thousands of Indian students are considering Iran as a study abroad destination due to tons of advantages. We have mentioned in detail the factors on why Indian students are choosing Iran for higher education and related information in this article. Read further for more information about the advantages of Iran that attract notable students each year.

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Number Of Indian Students in Iran in 2025

According to the latest MEA estimates, there are currently more than 13,000 Indian students in Iran, mainly admitted for medical courses. With the recent ongoing uncertainty due to the Iran-Israel war situation, the Indian government has initiated Operation Sindhu (India's evacuation mission launched in June 2025) to evacuate its nationals from Iran. This ensures Indian students' safety in the current geopolitical Iran and Israel conflicts.

Also, lots of students from India belong to Jammu and Kashmir in Iran. Recently, it was observed that the number of international students in Iran increased 2.7 times over 6 years during the pre-conflict times, driven by the country’s affordability and quality education. The growth rate is faster than in any other popular study abroad country.

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Major Reasons Why Indian Students Go to Iran For Higher Studies

Iran is one of the popular choices for higher education abroad, particularly for medicine. Beyond MBBS in Iran, there are many compelling reasons students can choose to study in Iran in fields such as Engineering, AI, Computer Science, Social Sciences, and many others. Here are a few of the top reasons why Indian students go to Iran for studies:

Top Universities

Iran hubs some of the highly ranked and prestigious top universities in the world, such as the University of Tehran, Sharif University of Technology, etc. It offers international students quality and affordable education with numerous global networking and career opportunities.

Latest Research Technology

Along with the quality education, Iranian universities are renowned in the world for their cutting-edge research facilities. International students pursuing courses such as Engineering, Computer Science, and other study fields are provided with advanced facilities to support their research thesis.

Diverse Range of Courses

Students can opt from a wide range of study disciplines for higher education in Iran. With the most popular course in medicine in Iran, candidates can also choose other undergraduate and postgraduate courses, such as the following:

• Engineering

• Computer Science and IT

• Social Sciences

• International Relations

• Cultural Studies

• Philosophy

• Natural Sciences

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Low Tuition Fees Universities in Iran For Indian Students

Iran is known for its affordability for international students. The exact university fees for Indian students in Iran may vary depending on the chosen university, course, and location. Moreover, the public universities in Iran are cheaper than the private universities. Let us now check the average university tuition fees in Iran for international students 2025 are mentioned below:

Low Tuition Fee Universities in Iran

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Low Cost of Living in Iran

The living expenses in Iran for international students are quite affordable as compared to other popular study abroad countries such as US, UK, Canada, Australia, and many more. The accommodation, transportation, and food are very low. This is one of the major reasons why Indian students go to Iran for study. On average, a student can live in Iran comfortably with around USD 300 to 600 per month.

Numerous Scholarships For Indian Students

Along with the low cost of studying in Iran, the country also offers numerous scholarships for international students, making it more attractive. There are different types of scholarships in Iran, mainly offered by the government and universities, based on students’ financial need or academic merit.

Why Indian Students Are Choosing Iran to Study Medicine?

MBBS in Iran is the top choice for Indian students. Why Indian students are driving towards medical courses in Iran is due to cheaper costs, limited Indian government seats, and easy admission processes. Also, Iranian universities are recognised as per the NMC guidelines to study MBBS abroad. This validates the MBBS degree from Iran in India. This means that Indian students completing medical courses from Iran have career opportunities in the Indian and global healthcare industry. Let us now check some of the reasons why Indian students choose Iran to study medicine:

Reasons Why Indian Students Choose Iran For MBBS

• Intense competition in Indian government medical colleges. In India, 23 lakh students appeared for NEET, competing for just 1,18,000 seats across 700 medical colleges. Iran, on the other hand, offers easy admission in MBBS for Indian students.

• High tuition fees in Indian private medical colleges are another reason why Indian students are choosing Iran for MBBS. With just a few slots for MBBS in government colleges that offer affordable tuition, the rest are offered the private universities that charge an exorbitant fee structure for medical courses.

• Low tuition fees in Iranian medical universities such as Isfahan University of Medical Science and Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Indian students can access high-quality education without financial restrictions.

• Affordable cost of living: As discussed above, the living expenses in Iran are quite cheaper for international students, and hence, the middle-class Indian families can achieve their dream of studying MBBS abroad without financial restrictions.

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