University of Tabriz

As one of the most important cities of the country, Tabriz hosts one of the oldest universities of Iran. “University of Tabriz” is a state university that is considered the largest center of higher education in the west and northwest of Iran.

History

More than seven centuries ago, Tabriz hosted a center called Rab’-e Rashidi, which was considered to be a center of higher education. However, the history of the establishment of the first modern university in this city dates back to 1947, when two professors of the University of Tehran were commissioned to establish a center of higher education in this city. This center was originally called “Tabriz House of Knowledge” and was located in a place that is still called “Daneshsara Square”.

The construction of the building, which was later named “Tabriz House of Knowledge”, began in 1936 under the supervision of German architects and was completed in 1939. In 1946, it was renamed “Azerbaijan University” and in the first year of its activities, 179 students were admitted in the fields of medicine, agriculture, education, philosophy, and literature. In that year, Tabriz was undergoing certain social disturbances, which also had their effects on the fate of this university. After these disturbances had subsided, “Mustafa Habibi” and “Khanbaba Bayani”, two professors of the University of Tehran, were commissioned to reform the structure of this university and pave the path for the establishment of a modern university. The opening ceremony of this university which was now called the “University of Tabriz” was held on November 14, 1947, and 160 students started their higher education in two faculties of medicine and literature. The inaugural program of the University of Tabriz was so important that it was broadcast live on Tabriz Radio.

This university gradually expanded and, presently - despite the separation of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences from it - with 20 faculties and nearly 24 thousand students and 819 faculty members, it is known as one of the most important universities of the country. Area-wise, the University of Tabriz is the second largest university of Iran after the Isfahan University of Technology.

Research Institutes and Centers

There are 11 research institutes and centers in the University of Tabriz that are active in conducting research in such fields as applied physics and astronomy, environment, Iranian history and culture, social sciences, Caucasus and Central Asia, Islamic humanities, social research, geotourism, geography, biosciences and biotechnology, engineering, water resources, and mathematics.

The International Position of the University of Tabriz

In the Shanghai Ranking published in 2023, the University of Tabriz ranks 151 to 200 in the fields of civil engineering and mechanical engineering, 301 to 400 in the fields of energy engineering, chemical engineering and electrical engineering, 101 to 150 in the fields of food science and technology and instrument technology, and 401 to 500 in agricultural science and has been introduced as one of the top universities in Iran. The global ranking of 51 to 75 in the field of water resources has made it the best Iranian university in this field.

The position of this university in the evaluation of universities by Times Ranking is 801 to 1000, which makes it 21st among Iranian universities.

In the ISC Ranking of 2021, University of Tabriz was considered one of the top universities in Iran by ranking 601-700 in the field of natural sciences, 213 (third in Iran) in the field of engineering and technology, and 251-300 in agricultural sciences. In terms of the number of papers published domestically, this university ranks seventh.

Foreign Students of the University of Tabriz

The presence of 1100 foreign students at the University of Tabriz has made this university one of the most important universities in Iran in terms of attracting foreign students. This university is presently engaged in more than 70 international research projects of which 37 projects are conducted in collaboration with the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye leading to the establishment of a secretariat titled “Scientific Cooperation between Iran and Türkiye” for further coordination.

The Office of the Management of Scientific and International Cooperation of the University of Tabriz has established a center for teaching the Persian language to non-Persian speakers; in addition to providing accommodation and consular services. The Aras Campus of this university, which is located in the city of Jolfa, makes calls for admission to non-Iranian students every year.