Studying abroadis a life-shifting experience. There are many personal, academic, and careerbenefits. You can live life to the degree that you haven’t been able to before.It is totally an adventure, especially for the students of the neighboringcountries, particularly Iraqi students. You can discover a country and besurrounded by new cultures, customs, and languages. You can be benefited fromtop-quality education that can make your prospective life. It is an opportunityto make new friends, and also it brings you career advantages. Moreover, youlearn to be independent, open-minded, have critical thinking skills, andovercome fears. However, the disadvantages shouldn’t be ignored. Something likehomesickness and culture shock. Considering both the benefits and drawbacks,the question is, “Should students study abroad?” The answer is definitely yes.
Studying abroadis the best way you can acquire global skills and have personal andprofessional opportunities, especially when you select the best study destination in the region. Iran, as the safest and oneof the most developed countries in the Middle East, has gained its reputationmostly due to the top-quality universities it has, like the AmirkabirUniversity of Technology that is considered as one of the most decent universitiesin Iran. It can open your eyes to different ways of life and promote yourprofessional life. Since the university is connected to different companies andworld organizations, you can have nice job experiences too. These are a few ofvery many benefits that studying in Iran brings you. Foreign students in Iranhave continuously commented that Iran universities offer numerous advantagesthat cannot be beaten. That’s why it is a wish to study in Iran for Pakistanistudents. To prove this fact, let’s elaborate on some important pointsregarding Iran and Amirkabir University of Technology.
Is Iran a good place to study?
Thismountainous and geographically significant country is located in Western Asia.It is bordered by Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Turkmenistan to the north, and thePersian Gulf to the South. The important position it has is because of itslarge reserves of petroleum and natural gas. It is the 18th largest country,and the population is over 81 million.
Iran is home to5000-year-old culture and civilization with a wide variety of differentlanguages and dialects such as Arabic, Turkmen, Gilaki, Kurdish, Armenian, andmore. So, it is a dreamy chance for the students, especially Iraqi students,who study here. You can gain independence by dealing with the life andeducation challenges, although Amirkabir University supports you. It is acommon fact that you should find housing, learn a language, navigate a newarea, and care for your budget with a foreign currency. So, when you get backhome, if you were not attracted to live here permanently, you will feel greatwhen you see you have learned so many life skills, and you can take care ofyour own life.
Furthermore,studying in Iran enhances the skills of critical thinking and problem-solving.These two are the main features that employers always look for. So, aftergraduation, you can have a strong resume that attracts many recruiters. So,your future job is guaranteed. Before mentioning more benefits, let’s know whatthe Amirkabir University of Technology offers.
AUT, Tehran Polytechnic
AUT orAmirkabir University of Technology is known as Tehran Polytechnic. It is thesecond-best university in Iran and holds the 477 ranks by Q.S. of the top 1000universities of the world. When established in 1928, it was famous for a publicresearch center. Moment by moment, the number of courses and departments havegrown. The main ones are Aerospace Engineering, Biomedical Engineering,Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Computer Engineering, and InformationTechnology, Electrical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Marine Technology,Mathematics, and Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering, Mining, and MetallurgyEngineering, Physics, and Nuclear Science, Polymer Engineering, TextileEngineering, and Petroleum Engineering. Regarding education, Iran’s goodpublicity is due to the services Tehran Polytechnic offers.
The facilitiesthat both national and international students can benefit from are in academicand non-academic domains. The equipped libraries, online classes, distantlearning opportunities, administrative services, and the globally famousteachers and professors have made the base of the university. There is alsosome sport and health facilities in addition to great furnished accommodationor dormitories are the bonuses that cannot be missed. If you visit the officialsite of the university, www.aut.ac.ir, you can see many more merits. Now that you are temptedenough and your thought is provoked, the question is how to apply.
Applying to the University of Amirkabir
In contrast tomany other universities, applying to the Amirkabir University of Technology isfast and easy. So, there is no need for Iraqi students to worry about whetherthey can be accepted or not. Just some steps should be taken accurately andprecisely. Before doing anything, you should enroll on the Organization ofStudent Affairs website, http://saorg.ir:8081/, which is followed by some other steps that are goingto be summarized below.
1. Fillout the registration form, and upload your passport and I.D. photo. Beforeuploading, pay attention to the size of the images that shouldn’t be more than50kb.
2. Prepareimages of your passport, CV, graduation certificate, or current student I.D.card in addition to a recommendation letter. If they are more than 100kb, youcannot upload them.
3. Havinguploaded the documents and saved your data, the site gives you a digit numberthat should be emailed to the university of Amirkabir at M_kariaut.ac.ir orinteract.ac.ir email address.
4. Youshould send your personal photo via the Personal Photo link.
To complete theprocess of applying to the university, you should prepare and submit somedocuments to let the authorities evaluate your academic record, extracurricularinterests, intellectual achievements, and personal background. Some documentslike:
- Transcripts of the last three years of high school;
- High school diploma;
- Transcript of BSc degree;
- Transcript of MSc degree (if applicable);
- Completed application form;
- A proposal of the thesis for Ph.D. applicants (500-600Words);
- Two recommendation letters for MSc, and Ph.D.applicants;
- The abstract of the MSc thesis (in two pages) forPh.D. applicants;
- A copy of the passport;
- Scholarship letter (if available);
- A clear scan of the applicant’s photo.
How much to pay for being admitted to Amirkabir university?
Having submittedthe documents, you have to pay the tuition fee. Although this university is notself-funded, some amount of money should be paid. But, don’t worry, it isaffordable.
Depending onyour degree level, nationality, and the course you choose, the amount oftuition varies. If you are from a non-Persian-speaking country, and the subjectyou choose is Humanities, Social, and Behavioral Sciences, each semester, youshould pay 1250 dollars. However, if you intend to study Arts, Engineering,Basic Sciences, Agriculture, and Veterinary Medicine, that amount increases to2300 dollars.
Provided thatyou have course credits, the tuition should be calculated according to thefollowing situations. If you are waiting for the Comprehensive Exam while youare studying at the Ph.D. level, you should pay 50% of the full tuition inaddition to full tuition fees for a semester. Waiting for the approval of theproposal, you should pay just 50% of fixed tuition fees. The tuition fordissertation equals full tuition fees for 4 semesters after approval of theproposal plus 50% of Fixed tuition fees for subsequent semesters. For M.A. orM.Sc., the tuition for the thesis is full tuition fees for 2 semesters afterapproval of the proposal in addition to 50% of fixed tuition fees forsubsequent semesters. Although the tuition is affordable, why not cutting down the education cost, and being benefited from the scholarship?
Why not getting a scholarship to save your money?
One of thebiggest challenges and worries about studying abroad, especially for Iraqistudents, is finance. The only best way to save your money and plummet the costof education is getting a scholarship. But, you should notice that noteverybody is lucky enough to have it due to some limitations like your GPA andage. The least score of GPA for B.A., and M.A. in Technology, Engineering, andBasic Sciences is 14 out of 20, while for Ph.D. it is 16., and the time theapplication is being made, your age should be 22 years for B.A., 26 for M.A., and31 for Ph.D. Moreover, you should have a good command of the Persian language;if not, you should take some Persian language classes for at least threemonths. To get the scholarship of the Amirkabir University of Technology, youhad better prepare some documents and definitely care for some importantregulations. Stay with us to know which documents and certificates are neededfor Iraqi students.
Requireddocuments and regulations for scholarship
While preparingthe documents that are going to be listed below, be sure that every informationis evaluated by the authorities to see how much you are eligible. Also, if youhave won a scholarship from another university or institute, you cannot applyfor the second time.
- The scholarship application form should be filled;
- The relevant documents and certificates should beprepared;
- The completed documents must be officially issued;
- The transcripts of the courses and grades youcompleted in each semester should be prepared;
- The transcripts must be officially credited;
- Any documentations like dissertations, essaysummaries, and letters of recommendation should be ready;
- A copy of the page in your passport that showspersonal data and photograph to the prepared documents should be added;
- All the documents must officially be translated;
- The translated documents must be stamped by theauthorities like the Ministry of the Justice Administration and JusticeAdministration;
- The transcripts should officially be verified by theuniversity;
- The original documents must be scanned; both sides,the front and the back;
- The essential information like your name and birthdatemust be the same as all the documents like I.D., transcripts, and degreecertificate.
Having made allthe mentioned points, you should register and apply to the university forgetting a scholarship.
The stepsare taken to apply
Before doinganything, be sure that all the documents are ready and officially issued. Tostart, click on www.aut.ac.ir, and select “Choosing aprogram.” Having done that, press “Apply Now”, and follow it by “Send yourrequest.” The process can be complete by “Go to study.” In each step, somedocuments should be uploaded; by studying the site, you can get all thedetails. If you run into any problem, there are more than 500 staff members inthe Amirkabir University of Technology who are famous for being supportive andprofessional. You can leave all the information to them and let them help youdecide the best, especially on a student visa.
Student visa, Iran, and AUT
Thesupportiveness of the staff members of the university can remove any problemand misunderstanding about all the subjects. However, let’s make you familiarwith a student visa in summary.
Iraqi studentsdo not need to worry about the validity of student visas. It has been yearsthat the validity has been increasing. Anyway, you should prepare somedocuments.
- Fill out two application forms;
- Be sure that your passport has at least six-monthvalidity;
- You should have two recent photographs;
- You need to get a form of acceptance from anaccredited university or educational center.
Get moreinformation from the site and the university staff if it doesn’t satisfy you.
All in all, ifyou have a chance to study abroad, you can be more attractive on the jobmarket, take a subject that you cannot take in your home country, develop yourpersonality, learn a language, have fun, broaden your knowledge, discoveryourself, and expand your friends' network. So, don’t hesitate, prepare your documents,and be a member of the Amirkabir University of Technology.
