Islamic Azad University

The Islamic Azad University (IAU, Persian: Dāneshgāh-e Āzād-e Eslāmi) is a private university system headquartered in Tehran, Iran, founded in 1982 by Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and ratified by the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution.伊斯兰阿扎德大学（Islamic Azad University，波斯语：Dāneshgāh-e Āzād-e Eslāmi）是总部位于伊朗德黑兰的私立大学体系，1982 年由阿克巴尔·哈希米·拉夫桑贾尼创办，并获文化革命最高委员会批准。

It is one of the largest university systems in the world, with two independent and 31 provincial units, 367 campuses in Iran, four branches abroad and more than 1.5 million students.它是世界上规模最大的大学体系之一，设有两个独立单位与 31 个省级单位、伊朗境内 367 个校区、4 个海外分支，学生总数超过 150 万。

The QS 2027, Times Higher Education 2027 and U.S. News 2026-2027 rankings all assess the system as a whole, placing it at 1401+, 1401-1600 and 460th respectively, not any single branch.2027 年 QS、2027 年泰晤士高等教育与 2026—2027 年度 U.S. News 的排名均针对整个体系，分别将其列入 1401+、1401—1600 区间与第 460 位，而非针对某一分校。

History

• The system was approved and ratified by the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution in 1982, after Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, then speaker of parliament, argued that Iran needed private higher education to absorb a growing student population.1982 年，文化革命最高委员会批准并正式确认了这一体系，此前时任议会议长的阿克巴尔·哈希米·拉夫桑贾尼主张伊朗需要私立高等教育来吸纳不断增长的学生人口。
• It was the first large-scale private university in the Islamic Republic and adopted higher education for all as its founding objective, in contrast to the selective public university system.它是伊斯兰共和国第一所大规模私立大学，以「人人享有高等教育」为建校目标，与择优录取的公立大学体系形成对照。
• The Central Tehran Branch was established in 1982 as the first branch, originally under the name Islamic Azad University of Tehran, and remains the flagship with about 488 degree programmes.中央德黑兰分校于 1982 年作为第一个分校成立，最初名为德黑兰伊斯兰阿扎德大学，如今仍是拥有约 488 个学位项目的旗舰校区。
• In 1985 the Zanjan branch opened with 175 students and five departments covering technical engineering, electronics and computer engineering, education, medicine and humanities.1985 年，赞詹分校开办，首批招收 175 名学生，设技术工程、电子与计算机工程、教育、医学与人文五个系。
• Between 1982 and 1989 the system spread across the provinces, opening branches in provincial capitals and smaller towns where public universities had no presence.20 世纪 80 年代，体系向各省扩张，在公立大学尚未布点的省会与中小城市开设分校。
• Between 1989 and 2001 expansion accelerated, and by the end of that period Islamic Azad had overtaken the state universities in total enrolment, becoming the largest higher education provider in Iran.扩张在 1990 年代加速，到 2000 年代初，伊斯兰阿扎德大学的总注册人数已超过公立大学，成为伊朗最大的高等教育提供者。
• A branch opened in Dubai in 1995, the system's first overseas campus, followed by the Azad University in Oxford in 2004 to support international collaboration and student exchange.1995 年，迪拜分校开办，这是体系的第一个海外校区；2004 年又设立牛津阿扎德大学，以支持国际合作与学生交流。
• The system now lists four overseas branches, in the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, Lebanon and Afghanistan, and international offices in Russia, Italy, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, the UAE, Lebanon and Afghanistan.体系目前在阿拉伯联合酋长国、英国、黎巴嫩与阿富汗设有四个海外分支，并在俄罗斯、意大利、德国、法国、英国、阿联酋、黎巴嫩与阿富汗设有国际办事处。
• Until 2013 admission was through an entrance examination designed, held and scored by the university itself, after which the test was merged into the national public university examination.2013 年以前，招生通过学校自行设计、组织与评分的入学考试进行；此后该考试并入全国公立大学入学考试。
• After 2013 the merger did not remove tuition: Islamic Azad charges fees that vary by programme, degree level and branch, and it also accepts charitable donations rather than relying on the state budget.并入统考并未取消学费：伊斯兰阿扎德大学按专业、学位层次与校区收取不同学费，并接受慈善捐款，而不依赖国家预算。
• By 2014 the system reported 1,636,000 students and 56,000 faculty members, figures that underpin its claim to be among the world's largest university systems.到 2014 年，体系报告有 1,636,000 名学生与 56,000 名教师，这些数字支撑其跻身世界最大大学体系之列的说法。
• Since its ratification in 1982, the system has been governed by a Board of Founders and a Board of Trustees: the founders' board has included Ali Akbar Velayati as head, Abdollah Jassbi, Ali Akbar Nategh-Nouri, Hassan Khomeini and Mohsen Qomi.其治理依托创办人董事会与受托人董事会：创办人董事会成员包括主席阿里·阿克巴尔·韦拉亚提、阿卜杜拉·贾斯比、阿里·阿克巴尔·纳泰格—努里、哈桑·霍梅尼与莫赫森·戈米。
• The Board of Trustees adds three senior professors, representatives of the science and health ministries, the Supreme Leader's representative in universities and the president of the university as secretary.受托人董事会还包括三名资深教授、科学与卫生两部的代表、最高领袖驻大学代表，以及兼任秘书的大学校长。
• In the academic year 2021-2022 the system accepted about 320,000 new students: 10,000 doctoral, 3,000 professional doctorate and medicine, 57,000 master's, 200,000 bachelor's and 50,000 associate-degree entrants.2021—2022 学年，体系共录取约 320,000 名新生，其中博士 10,000 人、专业博士与医学 3,000 人、硕士 57,000 人、本科 200,000 人、副学士 50,000 人。
• By the 2020s the system operated 508 scientific journals, 145 of them in English, and described itself as the fifth-largest university in the world by enrolment.到 2020 年代，体系出版 508 种科学期刊，其中 145 种为英文期刊，并按注册人数自称世界第五大大学。
• The university's medical wing grew into a separate network of 107 branches with 1,669 faculty, 43,728 medical students and 72 degree programmes at various levels.大学的医学板块发展成独立网络，拥有 107 个分支、1,669 名教师、43,728 名医学学生与 72 个不同层次的学位项目。
• Its hospitals hold 825 active beds across 10 teaching hospitals, with 1,273 approved beds, and each medical centre serves as the clinical teaching site for its branch.其医院在 10 所教学医院中设有 825 张在用病床，另有 1,273 张获批床位，每个医学中心都是所在分校的临床教学基地。
• The system's library administration serves more than 360 branches and about 1.2 million students, faculty and researchers through a distributed network of campus libraries and a digital library.体系的图书馆管理部门通过分布式校园图书馆网络与数字图书馆，服务 360 多个分支及约 120 万名学生、教师与研究人员。
• In 2022 Islamic Azad marked 40 years since its ratification, by which time it had become the largest non-governmental higher education network in the Middle East.2022 年，伊斯兰阿扎德大学迎来获批 40 周年，此时它已成为中东最大的非政府高等教育网络。

Academics

• Teaching is organised through 31 provincial units and 367 campuses, ranging from comprehensive branches with medical and engineering schools to small institutes offering a handful of programmes.教学通过 31 个省级单位与 367 个校区组织，既有设医学院与工程学院的综合性分校，也有只开设少数专业的小型学院。
• The Central Tehran Branch alone offers about 488 undergraduate and postgraduate programmes across sciences, engineering, art, architecture, humanities and social sciences, on campuses covering 297,904 square metres.仅中央德黑兰分校就开设约 488 个本科与研究生项目，涵盖理学、工程、艺术、建筑、人文与社会科学，校区面积 297,904 平方米。
• The system enrols more than 1.5 million students and admits about 320,000 a year, with the largest share at bachelor's level and substantial numbers in master's and associate programmes.体系注册学生超过 150 万，每年录取约 32 万人，其中本科层次占比最大，硕士与副学士项目也占相当规模。
• It employed 56,000 faculty members by 2014, and its medical schools alone counted 1,669 faculty teaching 43,728 students in 72 medical and health programmes.到 2014 年，体系聘有 56,000 名教师；仅医学院系统就有 1,669 名教师，在 72 个医学与卫生项目中教授 43,728 名学生。
• Research and publication are handled largely at branch level, and the system's 508 journals, 145 of them English-language, make it one of the most prolific academic publishers in Iran.科研与出版主要在各分校层面进行，体系出版的 508 种期刊中有 145 种为英文，使其成为伊朗最多产的学术出版机构之一。
• The medical network comprises 107 branches with 72 majors, 10 teaching hospitals and 825 active beds, offering medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, nursing and allied health degrees.医学网络包括 107 个分支、72 个专业、10 所教学医院与 825 张在用病床，开设医学、牙医学、药学、护理与相关健康学位。
• The Sama School network runs 1,051 pre-school, primary and secondary schools, while 118 skill and entrepreneurship colleges provide vocational and associate-level training.体系所属的 Sama 学校网络运营 1,051 所学前、小学与中学，另有 118 所技能与创业学院提供职业及副学士层次培训。
• Admission is by the national entrance examination, and students who score highly enough may be exempted from tuition, while others pay fees set by programme, degree and branch.招生通过全国入学考试进行，成绩足够优秀的学生可免缴学费，其余学生则按专业、学位与校区缴纳学费。
• Degrees are recognised by the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology and, for medical programmes, by the Ministry of Health and Medical Education, which licenses the medical branches.学位获科学、研究与技术部承认，医学类项目则获卫生与医学教育部承认，后者负责医学分支的办学许可。
• The system is governed by a Board of Founders, a Board of Trustees, the university president and a University Council, with the president appointed for a four-year term.体系由创办人董事会、受托人董事会、大学校长与大学理事会治理，校长任期为四年。
• Its central administration includes vice-presidencies for research and technology, student and cultural affairs, international affairs, medical sciences, humanities and arts, and general education and skills training.中央管理层设有科研与技术、学生与文化事务、国际事务、医学、人文与艺术、通识教育与技能培训等副校长职位。
• International offices in eight countries and four overseas branches support student mobility, joint degrees and research partnerships, with the Oxford branch acting as a European liaison office.设在八个国家的国际办事处与四个海外分支支持学生流动、联合学位与研究合作，牛津分支则充当欧洲联络处。
• Branches differ widely in size and specialisation: some host medical schools and hospitals, others focus on engineering, teacher training or management, and each sets its own programme mix within the central framework.各分校在规模与专长上差异很大：有的设医学院与医院，有的侧重工程、教师培训或管理，各分校在中央框架内确定自己的专业组合。
• The system's digital library and repository are available to branches offering postgraduate studies, and more than 120 branches have been connected to the digital collection.体系的数字图书馆与机构库向开设研究生课程的分支开放，已有 120 多个分支接入数字馆藏。
• Research centres and science and technology parks attached to the system commercialise applied work, and the university reports a portfolio of inventions registered by students at international competitions.体系下属的研究中心与科技园负责应用成果的商业化，校方还称学生已在国际竞赛中登记了一批发明专利。
• Its academic range is unusually broad for a private system, covering medicine, engineering, agriculture, law, economics, management, humanities, art and architecture within one governance structure.作为私立体系，其学科覆盖面异常广泛，在同一个治理结构下涵盖医学、工程、农业、法律、经济、管理、人文、艺术与建筑。

Campus

• Islamic Azad is a system rather than a single campus: its headquarters is in Tehran, but its 367 campuses are spread across every province of Iran and vary from single-building institutes to full university towns.伊斯兰阿扎德大学是一个体系而非单一校园：总部设在德黑兰，但 367 个校区遍布伊朗各省，既有单栋楼的小型学院，也有完整的大学城。
• The Tehran headquarters coordinates admissions, examinations and quality assurance for the whole network, while day-to-day management remains with each provincial unit and its branch directors.德黑兰总部统一协调整个网络的招生、考试与质量保障，日常管理则由各省级单位及其分校负责人承担。
• The Central Tehran Branch, the oldest and largest, occupies 297,904 square metres across several districts of Tehran and hosts about 488 degree programmes.中央德黑兰分校历史最久、规模最大，在德黑兰多个城区占地 297,904 平方米，开设约 488 个学位项目。
• The system's 31 provincial units group the branches by province, each with a provincial board and a central administration that coordinates admissions, curricula and quality control.体系的 31 个省级单位按省归集各分校，每个省级单位设省董事会与中央管理机构，协调招生、课程与质量控制。
• Four overseas branches operate in the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, Lebanon and Afghanistan, while the Oxford branch, founded in 2004, serves as a liaison for European partnerships.四个海外分支分别设于阿联酋、英国、黎巴嫩与阿富汗，其中 2004 年创办的牛津分支负责协调欧洲合作。
• The medical wing runs 10 teaching hospitals with 825 active beds, including Farhikhtegan and Bou-Ali (Avicenna) hospitals in Tehran and 22 Bahman and Aria hospitals in Mashhad.医学板块运营 10 所教学医院、825 张在用病床，包括德黑兰的法尔希赫特甘医院与布阿里（阿维森纳）医院，以及马什哈德的 22 巴赫曼医院与阿里亚医院。
• The central library administration supports more than 360 branch libraries and a shared digital library, giving students in remote campuses access to the same electronic journals as those in Tehran.中央图书馆管理部门支持 360 多个分支图书馆与共享数字图书馆，使偏远校区的学生也能访问与德黑兰相同的电子期刊。
• The Sama school network gives the system a presence from pre-school to university, with 1,051 schools and 118 skill colleges feeding students into its associate and bachelor programmes.Sama 学校网络使体系覆盖从学前到大学的各个阶段，1,051 所学校与 118 所技能学院为其副学士与本科项目输送学生。
• Tehran's metro and bus network connects the Central Tehran and Science and Research branches to the city centre, and the capital's universities, publishers and hospitals form the system's professional hinterland.德黑兰地铁与公交网络把中央德黑兰分校与研究科学分校连接至市中心，首都的大学、出版社与医院构成体系的职业腹地。

Reputation

• The QS World University Rankings 2027 place Islamic Azad University in the 1401+ band, and the entry refers to the system as a whole rather than to any campus such as Shiraz or Arak.2027 年 QS 世界大学排名将伊斯兰阿扎德大学列入 1401+ 区间，该条目针对整个体系，而非设拉子或阿拉克等任何单一校区。^[1]
• The Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2027 place the system in the 1401-1600 band, again a system-level position that cannot be attributed to a single branch.2027 年泰晤士高等教育世界大学排名将体系列入 1401—1600 区间，这同样是体系级位次，不能归到某一分校名下。
• U.S. News ranks Islamic Azad University 460th in its 2026-2027 Best Global Universities list, and in the 2025 edition it stood second among Iranian universities and 117th in Asia.U.S. News 在 2026—2027 年度全球大学榜单中将伊斯兰阿扎德大学列为第 460 位；在 2025 年版中，它居伊朗高校第二、亚洲第 117 位。
• It does not appear in the main table of the Academic Ranking of World Universities 2026, which measures research universities by citation-heavy indicators.该校未进入 2026 年软科世界大学学术排名主榜，该榜以偏重引文的指标衡量研究型大学。
• U.S. News subject tables for 2025 placed the system 4th in the world for mechanical engineering, 9th for polymer science, 14th for civil engineering and 29th for mathematics.2025 年 U.S. News 学科榜单将体系列为机械工程世界第 4、高分子科学第 9、土木工程第 14、数学第 29。
• Other subject placings in the same edition include water resources 30th, chemical engineering 36th, engineering 37th, energy and fuels 40th and artificial intelligence 55th.同一版榜单中的其他学科位次包括水资源第 30、化学工程第 36、工程学第 37、能源与燃料第 40、人工智能第 55。
• The Center for World University Rankings placed it 372nd globally and first in Iran in 2021-2022, with a research performance rank of 342 and an overall score of 75.7.世界大学排名中心在 2021—2022 年度将其列为全球第 372 位、伊朗第一，科研表现排名第 342，综合得分 75.7。
• SCImago ranked it 87th in the world and first in Iran in 2013, a measure of its very large publication output rather than of per-capita citation impact.SCImago 在 2013 年将其列为世界第 87 位、伊朗第一，这一成绩衡量的是其庞大的论文产出，而非人均引用影响。
• The CWTS Leiden Ranking placed it 252nd in the world in 2014, and URAP put it 161st in 2013 and 226th in 2012, reflecting steady growth in indexed research.CWTS 莱顿排名在 2014 年将其列为世界第 252 位，URAP 则在 2013 年列第 161 位、2012 年列第 226 位，反映其被收录科研的稳步增长。
• Within Iran it operates alongside state universities such as the University of Tehran, Shahid Beheshti University, Amirkabir University of Technology, Iran University of Science and Technology and Shiraz University, yet enrols more students than any of them. With 508 journals and more than 1.5 million students, its reputation rests on scale and access as much as on elite research.在伊朗国内，它与德黑兰大学、沙希德·贝赫什提大学、阿米尔卡比尔理工大学、伊朗科技大学与设拉子大学等国立大学并存，但注册学生数超过其中任何一所。凭借 508 种期刊与 150 多万名学生，其声誉既建立在精英科研上，也建立在规模与入学机会上。
• Its reported assets of $20-25 billion and its branch network make it a quasi-institutional actor in Iranian higher education, independent of the state university budget.据报其资产达 200 亿至 250 亿美元，加上庞大的分支网络，使其成为伊朗高等教育中独立于国立大学预算的准机构性力量。

Student life

• The system's motto is the Persian phrase Ārmān-e Irāni barāy-e Jahāni shodan, rendered as Iranian Aspiration for Globalisation, and it appears in university publications.体系的校训是波斯语「Ārmān-e Irāni barāy-e Jahāni shodan」，意为「伊朗的全球化愿景」，见于学校出版物。
• Unofficial slogans used by branches include Seek Knowledge from the Cradle to the Grave and Learn and Live, reflecting the system's open-access ethos.各分校使用的非正式口号包括「从摇篮到坟墓寻求知识」与「学习并生活」，体现体系的开放入学理念。
• The system's colours are dark and light blue, and its sports clubs include the Azad University of Tehran Basketball Club and the Azad University of Tehran Cycling Club.体系代表色为深蓝与浅蓝，其体育俱乐部包括德黑兰阿扎德大学篮球俱乐部与德黑兰阿扎德大学自行车俱乐部。
• More than 1,800 scientific, literary and artistic associations operate across the branches, and each campus runs its own student council and cultural calendar.各分支共有 1,800 多个科学、文学与艺术协会，每个校区还设有自己的学生会与文化日历。
• Because most branches are commuter campuses, student life is organised around classes, local cafeterias and city amenities rather than residential colleges.由于多数分校为通勤校园，学生生活围绕课堂、本地食堂与城市设施展开，而非住宿学院。
• The Sama schools and skill colleges create a pipeline of younger students who attend university fairs and competitions on the branches' campuses.Sama 学校与技能学院形成年轻学生的输送通道，他们参加各分校校园里的大学展与竞赛。
• Graduation ceremonies are held separately at each branch, and the Central Tehran Branch's ceremony is the largest, reflecting its status as the flagship.毕业典礼在各分校分别举行，其中中央德黑兰分校的典礼规模最大，反映其旗舰地位。
• Tehran's bookshops, cinemas, galleries and mountain parks shape student leisure, and the sheer number of branches means campus culture varies sharply from Tehran to provincial towns.德黑兰的书店、电影院、画廊与山地公园塑造了学生的休闲生活，而庞大的分支数量意味着从德黑兰到省城，校园文化差异显著。

Notable people

• Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, president of Iran from 1989 to 1997 and speaker of parliament from 1980 to 1989, founded the system in 1982 and remained a member of its Board of Founders.阿克巴尔·哈希米·拉夫桑贾尼于 1989 至 1997 年任伊朗总统、1980 至 1989 年任议会议长，1982 年创办该体系，并长期担任创办人董事会成员。
• Ali Akbar Velayati, foreign minister of Iran from 1981 to 1997 and later a senior adviser to the Supreme Leader, heads the Board of Founders.阿里·阿克巴尔·韦拉亚提于 1981 至 1997 年任伊朗外交部长，后任最高领袖高级顾问，现任创办人董事会主席。
• Hassan Khomeini, a cleric and grandson of Ruhollah Khomeini, sits on the Board of Founders and has been associated with the system's cultural and religious policy.哈桑·霍梅尼是神职人员、鲁霍拉·霍梅尼之孙，任创办人董事会成员，参与体系的文化与宗教政策。
• Ali Akbar Nategh-Nouri, speaker of the Iranian parliament from 1992 to 2000, is another member of the Board of Founders and a former interior minister.阿里·阿克巴尔·纳泰格—努里于 1992 至 2000 年任伊朗议会议长，也是创办人董事会成员与前内政部长。
• Abdollah Jassbi, a philosopher and long-serving president of the system, helped build its provincial branch network and its Islamic Studies curriculum.阿卜杜拉·贾斯比是哲学家、体系的长期校长，参与建设省级分支网络与伊斯兰研究课程。
• Hamid Mirzadeh, a former president of Islamic Azad and a board member, oversaw the expansion of its engineering and technology programmes.哈米德·米尔扎德是伊斯兰阿扎德大学前校长与董事会成员，主导其工程与技术项目的扩张。
• Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi, a physicist and former president of the system, is a member of its Board of Trustees and a former head of the National Elite Foundation.穆罕默德·迈赫迪·泰赫兰奇是物理学家、体系前校长，现任受托人董事会成员，并曾任国家精英基金会主席。
• Farhad Rahbar, an economist and former president of the University of Tehran, sits on the Board of Trustees and has shaped the system's finance and planning policy.法尔哈德·拉赫巴尔是经济学家、德黑兰大学前校长，任受托人董事会成员，参与制定体系的财务与规划政策。
• Fereidoun Azizi, an endocrinologist known for the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study, is a member of the Board of Trustees representing senior professors.费雷敦·阿齐兹是内分泌学家，以德黑兰血脂与血糖研究闻名，作为资深教授代表出任受托人董事会成员。
• Abdul-Karim Mousavi Ardebili, a former chief justice of Iran, served on the Board of Founders and lent the system religious and legal legitimacy in its early years.阿卜杜勒—卡里姆·穆萨维·阿尔达比里是伊朗前首席大法官，曾任创办人董事会成员，在早期为体系提供宗教与法律正当性。
• Mohsen Qomi, a cleric and former head of the Supreme Leader's office for university relations, is another founding board member with a role in religious oversight.莫赫森·戈米是神职人员、最高领袖大学事务办公室前主任，也是创办人董事会成员，参与宗教监督事务。
• The system's leadership is therefore drawn from the highest levels of Iranian politics and academia, a feature that distinguishes it from branch-level administrators and ordinary faculty.因此，体系的领导层来自伊朗政治与学术的最高层，这一特征使其有别于分校管理层与普通教师。