Hawzah News Agency- Dr. Morteza Rajaei made the announcement during the opening ceremony of the "Third Level of the Comprehensive School of Internationalization Techniques and University Ranking Improvement" held at the Martyr Soleimani Hall, Women's Campus of IRIU.

“Currently, 500 international students from eight different nationalities are studying at the university, with half of them being women”, he stated.

According to Dr. Rajaei, the presence of Imam Reza shrine and the esteemed position of Astan Quds Razavi have led to an increase in the number of Muslim students from around the world, particularly neighboring countries, pursuing their education in Mashhad's universities.

“The majority of international students at the university come from Iraq and Afghanistan”, he added.

Dr. Rajaei further noted that the university began its international activities in 2012 with approval from the Higher Education Development Council of the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology.

“Since then, over 2,000 students from various nationalities have graduated from the university”, he noted.

In recent years, students from Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Tanzania, Nigeria, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan have been studying at the university, with Iraqi and Afghan students forming the largest groups.

Dr. Rajaei further highlighted the steps taken to develop the university's international infrastructure.

The Persian Language Teaching Center for non-Persian speakers was established in 2017.

Additionally, the university has been granted a consular office permit by the Student Affairs Organization to facilitate consular matters for international students, including visa issuance, registration permits, residency, and other related services.

The president of IRIU pointed to the ongoing efforts to expand the university's foreign language college programs and activities, discussing scholarship allocations by the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology to support talented international students.

Despite being a non-governmental university, IRIU has successfully selected and enrolled 100 outstanding international students from Iraq and Afghanistan in specific fields of study.