Urmia is known as one of the pioneering cities of contemporary Iran. The first modern hospital, the first modern medical education center, the first local TV channel, and the first local publication of Iran have been launched in this city. It is, therefore, not surprising that Urmia University is one of the oldest universities in Iran.

History

An American physician by the name of Joseph Cochran who was born in Urmia, founded a medical college in this city in the late 19th century, which later on became the “City Campus” of Urmia University. This institution, which was known as “Westminster”, started its activities in 1878, i.e. 87 years before the establishment of Urmia College of Agriculture and 56 years before the establishment of Tehran University (the first modern university of Iran) and stopped functioning with the sudden death of Dr. Cochran in 1950. During the 27 years of the activities of this college, 26 Iranian doctors graduated from it.

The establishment of Urmia University dates back to 1965 when a center of higher education was established with a limited number of academic staff and about 30 students were admitted to study at the associate level in the field of “agricultural sciences”. Students who wanted to continue their higher education could enroll in undergraduate courses in the Faculty of Agriculture of Karaj - 700 kilometers away from Urmia - which was affiliated with the University of Tehran.

Four years after the establishment of this center, an MOU was signed between the Ministry of Culture of the time based on which a foundation called “Near East Foundation” was formed and a four-year course was designed. Along with the Faculty of Agriculture, the Faculty of Veterinary was also established and the preparation of books and equipment needed for it began. Gradually, five educational groups of “Basic Sciences”, “Plant Sciences”, “Animal Sciences”, “Agricultural Engineering” and “Rural Education” were established at Urmia University and the number of students admitted every year reached 150. The cooperation between the Urmia University and the Near East Foundation also led to the establishment of a large farm of 400 hectares in the Nazlu area on the outskirts of Urmia. Thereafter, a university campus was formed at Nazlu, 19 km from the main campus, and all three faculties of “Agriculture and Animal Husbandry”, “Veterinary” and “Sciences” were transferred to this new campus.

In the years that followed, faculties of medicine (founded in 1980 and separated as an independent university in 1985), literature and human sciences (established in 1988), and technology (established in 1990) were added to this university.

Presently, Urmia University has 11 faculties of “Literature and Humanities”, “Economics and Management”, “Electrical and Computer Engineering”, “Veterinary Medicine”, “Sciences”, “Chemistry”, “Sports Sciences”, “Engineering”, “Agriculture”, “Natural Resources”, and “Architecture, Urbanism, and Art”, more than 500 academic staff and more than 17 thousand students study at three levels of under-graduation, post-graduation, and doctorate.

The Position and International Activities of Urmia University

Urmia University is considered as one of the top universities in Iran. In the Shanghai Rankings published in 2023, the university was ranked 301-400 in the world for mechanical engineering. In the field of food science and technology, this university has been ranked 201 to 300. Similarly, in the Times Ranking of 2023, Urmia University ranked 501 to 600, being fifth among Iranian universities. In the ISC ranking published in 2021, Urmia University had been ranked 451 to 500 in the field of agricultural sciences.

The scientific position of Urmia University has inspired many foreign students to apply to pursue their higher education at this university. According to the officials of this university, nearly 1800 foreign students were studying at this university in 2022, making up about 10% of its students. Following the establishment of its international campus in 2012, this university has created suitable facilities for its foreign students. Five engineering disciplines “Industrial”, “Mechanical”, “Electricity-Telecommunications”, “Electricity-Electronics” and “Computer” are taught at this campus. Certain plans are also in progress in the “Management Center of Scientific and International Cooperation” of this university for expanding international cooperation and conducting joint research projects with foreign universities and other scientific and research centers.