March 1st, 2019
Iran’s education system has undergone a number of reforms since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. One sector that has been seen several reforms in the past four decades is the primary and secondary education system.
The most recent changes to the education system, according to the Iranian Students’ News Agency (ISNA), took place in 2013 where primary education has been extended from 5 to 6 years, followed by 3 years of lower secondary and 3 years of upper secondary. In the new system, the 13th year, known as pre-university (pishdaneshgahi) has been absorbed into the upper secondary cycle and is no longer offered.
Students who complete the 12th year from the new system and pass final exams will receive their Certificate/Diploma of High School Completion. They will then be eligible to sit for the national entrance exam for universities.
We have prepared a historic overview of Iran’s primary and secondary cycle for use as a quick reference when reviewing and evaluating academic transcripts of students from Iran.
Pre-1979 Islamic revolution [5+3+4]
5 years primary (grades 1-5)
3 years middle school/guidance cycle (grades 6, 7, 8)
4 years upper secondary (grades 9, 10, 11, 12)
Post-1979 Islamic Revolution (through 1995) [5+3+4]
5 years primary (grades 1-5)
3 years middle school/guidance cycle (grades 6, 7, 8)
4 years upper secondary (grades 9, 10, 11, 12)
1996-2013 [5+3+3+1]
5 years primary (grades 1-5)
3 years middle school/guidance cycle (grades 6, 7, 8)
3 years upper secondary (grades 9, 10, 11)
1 year pre-university (year 12)
2013 to present [6+3+3]
6 years primary (grades 1-6)
3 years lower secondary cycle (grades 7, 8, 9)
3 years upper secondary cycle (grades 10, 11, 12)
Here’s a good link to a page on the UCAS website dedicated to Iran’s pre-university certificate and the recent changes made to the primary and secondary system: https://qips.ucas.com/qip/iran-pre-university-certificate-pishdaneshgahi
The Academic Credentials Evaluation Institute, Inc. (ACEI), was founded in 1994 and is based in Los Angeles, CA, USA. ACEI provides a number of services that include evaluations of international academic credentials for U.S. educational equivalence, translation, verification, and professional training programs. ACEI is a Charter and Endorsed Member of the Association of International Credential Evaluators. For more information, visit www.acei-global.org.