Ferdowsi University of Mashhad

The Ferdowsi University of Mashhad is a major comprehensive research university in Mashhad, capital city of the Iranian province of Razavi Khorasan. The university is named after Ferdowsi who is considered to be the national epic poet of Greater Iran, and was born in Tus, near Mashhad. It was established in 1949, making it the third oldest university in Iran.

Ferdowsi is among the most prestigious universities in Iran, and was ranked as the 3rd best research university of the nation in the 2018 ISC rankings published by the Iranian government. It offers 180 bachelors, masters, and PhD programs to 30000 students. It has 810 faculty members and 2500 staff. Foreign students, especially from Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq make up a significant portion of students and the university has the highest number of foreign students in Iran.