"War and Economic Hardship" ... Iranian Talent Flocks to China

Last year, 120,000 Iranians studied abroad
"Only 1% return to Iran"

It has been revealed that Iranian talent is fleeing to China in large numbers to escape war and economic hardship.

According to the British daily The Times on the 20th (local time), Iran Migration Observatory, a policy research institute under Sharif University of Technology in Iran, announced that the number of Iranians who went abroad to study last year was 120,000 annually. This figure has doubled from 60,000 at the end of the 2010s.

Bahram Salavati, former director of the Iran Migration Observatory, said, "Only 1% of international students return to Iran."

The Iranian flag is hung on a building in Tehran, Iran, damaged by an attack from the United States and Israel. Photo by Xinhua News Agency

Recently, China has attracted Iranian students by simplifying visa procedures and offering various scholarship benefits. In the past, Iran’s top students mainly preferred the United States or Europe, but now China has emerged as an appealing option. Scholarships, low tuition fees, support for dormitories and living expenses, and the competitiveness of Chinese universities in science and technology fields are cited as reasons.

Shima, an Iranian medical student currently living in China, shared, "I receive support not only for tuition and room and board, but also a monthly stipend of 2,500 yuan (about 520,000 won)." She told The Times, "I moved to China because of war, rising prices, and inflation," adding, "I didn't want to live constantly checking the dollar exchange rate every day." Erfan, a nutritionist from Kerman Province in eastern Iran, also expressed satisfaction, saying, "China offers great scholarships, tuition is cheap, and the procedures are much faster."

In fact, on social networking services (SNS), Iranian students have posted experiences in which they received student visas for China in just two days, or were able to enroll in Chinese universities through alternative paths even if their language scores were somewhat lacking.

Maryam, who emigrated to China in 2024, mentioned inconveniences such as government internet censorship, but said, "Choosing China was the best decision of my life."

In contrast, the United States is making it increasingly difficult for Iranian students to study in the country. The U.S. Department of the Treasury recently abolished "General License G," a sanctions waiver that permitted some academic exchanges and educational services related to Iran. As a result, it is no longer possible to take the TOEFL test, managed by Education Testing Service (ETS), in Iran, nor can Iranian students take the GRE, which is widely used for graduate school admissions in the U.S. and other countries. ETS told The Times, "There is no confirmed schedule at this time" regarding the resumption of its tests in Iran.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.