Higher Education · Tehran
The Islamic Azad University (IAU) (Persian: دانشگاه آزاد اسلامی, Dāneshgāh-e Āzād-e Eslāmi), commonly referred to as Azad University, is the world's third largest private university system based in Iran. Headquartered in Tehran, Iran, the Islamic Azad University was founded in 1982 and established by Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. It currently has an enrollment of 1.5 million students and over 300 branches across Iran and internationally, including in the UAE, United Kingdom, Tanzania, Lebanon, and Armenia. The university operates without government funding, relying on charitable donations and tuition fees. Its certificates are recognized by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, and it admits students through the National Wide Entrance Examination held by the National Organization of Educational Testing.