Abbas Ghanbari Baghestan, Deputy for Scholarships and International Student Affairs at the Student Affairs Organization, announced the approval of a law that allows universities to collect tuition fees from international students in foreign currency. This decision was made in the Cabinet meeting on September 20, 2026, following the organization’s collaboration with the Scientific, Technological, and Smartization Commission of the government.
Removing Barriers to Collecting Foreign Currency Tuition
Ghanbari Baghestan also pointed out the challenges universities faced in collecting tuition fees, stating: "One of the fundamental issues was the lack of foreign currency accounts and the existing restrictions on directly receiving tuition fees in foreign currency. This issue made universities face challenges in converting currency and depositing its equivalent in Iranian rials into the university's account." In fact, collecting tuition fees in rials had put universities in a position of incurring additional costs and financial problems.
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He added: "In this situation, a significant portion of the process of receiving and converting currency was done through intermediaries and student recruitment institutions, which could lead to a decrease in the actual income of universities." With the implementation of the new resolution, universities can now collect tuition fees from international students directly in foreign currency and deposit this income into their foreign currency accounts.
Transparency and Cost Reduction
The Deputy for Scholarships and International Student Affairs emphasized that this action could help clarify the tuition collection process and reduce the role of unofficial intermediaries in this process. According to this resolution, universities are required to implement the specified requirements within a maximum of one month and to transparently announce the tuition fees and related service costs for international students.
Ghanbari Baghestan also noted that the collection of tuition fees and service costs must be done without intermediaries and through official channels. "This directive allows universities to officially announce the exact amount of tuition and service tariffs in various languages so that all stakeholders, including prospective students, are informed about it."
Implementing this resolution can not only help improve the financial situation of universities but also significantly aid in attracting and admitting international students. This action creates an official pathway for receiving and converting currency and reduces costs associated with intermediary services.
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