Admission Guide
Admission of International Students in Urmia University
In line with the development and consolidation of international cultural, scientific, educational and research cooperations and exchanges between Iran and other countries and with the aim of strengthening and developing cultural exchanges and being effective in attracting more elites, scholars and experts from other countries and contributing to the growth and improvement of higher education especially in the neighboring countries, Urmia University, as the main university of West Azarbaijan Province, attracts and admits qualified foreign students in Bachelor's, Master's and Doctoral degrees (PhD) in accordance with the regulations for the admission of foreign students in universities and higher education institutions of the Islamic Republic of Iran (See the link).
Admission Requirements of International Students
1. General Conditions
1.1.Lack of legal prohibition to continue education or living in Iran
1.2.Having a confirmation from the representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the relevant country or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
1.3.Having previous education certificate(s) approved by the relevant authorities
1.4.Proficiency in Persian language
1.5.Not having the citizenship of the Islamic Republic of Iran and having a foreign passport
2. Specific Conditions
2.1.Bachelor's Applicants: Applicants for a Bachelor's degree must have a highschool diploma (equivalent to the end of secondary education or a pre-university degreein Iran) approved by the relevant authorities. These documents must be approved by the relevant authorities.
2.2.Master's Applicants: Applicants for a Master's degree must have a valid undergraduate degree approved by the relevant authorities. The relevant educational deparment should confirm the academic status of the applicant based on academic records and, if necessary, an informal academic interview.
2.3.Doctorate Applicants: Applicants for a PhD degree must have a valid Master's degree with a minimum GPA of 14 (out of 20) approved by the relevant authorities. The relevant educational deparment should confirm the academic status of the applicant based on academic records and, if necessary, an informal academic interview.
Academic certificate and transcripts of the applicants should be sealed and confirmed by embassy of Islamic Republic of Iran in the country of the applicant and submitted to the university intact after being admitted to the university.
In addition to offering regular doctoral degrees ( course units and a doctoral thesis), Urmia University also organizes a research-oriented doctoral course called "PhD by Research". In addition to the above documents, applicants for PhD by Research need to prepare and submit a doctoral proposal in a specialized field related to their field of study along with other educational and identity documents at the time of registration. Proficiency in Persian language is not one of the requirements for admission to a PhD by Research course and the writing language of the thesis can be either English or Farsi.
Spring Semester Admissions
Attention: According to the recent approval of Urmia University Board of Governors, admission of foreign students in master's and doctorate degrees in the second semester of each academic year (Spring semester) will be in accordance with the following conditions:
1.The minimun number of foreign student applicants with definite admission in Master's and PhD courses should equal at least 8-10 and 3-5 applicants respectively. Definite admission means confirmation of the applicant's academic ability by the relevant department and confirmation of upper intermdeiate Persian language proficiency according to the Urmia University Persian Proficiency Test.
2. The relevant academic department agrees to launch a separate and exclusive Master's or PhD course for foreign students in the second semester according to the request of the Vice Chancellor for Academic and Higher Education Affairs of Urmia University. It is necessary to explain that Urmia University and almost all universities affiliated to the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology of Iran admit new Iranian students in all academic levels (bachelor, master and doctorate) only in the Fall Semester academic year and generally they do not admit new students in the second semester (Spring semester).