Iran University of Science and Technology (IUST) (Persian: دانشگاه علم و صنعت ایران, Dâneshgâh-e 'elm va San'at-e Irân) is a research institution and university of engineering and science in Iran. The university is home to 13 faculties offering undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in a wide range of engineering-based subjects as well as maths, physics, and department of foreign languages. In 1995 IUST awarded Iran’s first PhDs in materials, metallurgical and traffic engineering. IUST is the only university in the Middle East which has a school of railway engineering and a school of progress engineering. It is also the only university in Iran which has a school of automotive engineering. There are also 12 research centres, nine centres of excellence and 19 specialised libraries as well as four satellite campuses in other parts of the country. IUST is located on Hengam Street in the Narmak neighborhood in northeast Tehran.
The 20,000 capacity IUST Stadium, which is used mostly for association football, is their main sports venue.
On 28 March 2026, it was bombed by Israeli forces during the 2026 Iran war, with a building of the university being reduced to rubble.
Contents
History
Iran University of Science and Technology was founded in 1929 as the first Iranian Institution to train engineers, named the Governmental Technical Institute. Soon it was named "Honarsarā-ye Ālī" (Persian: Persian: هنرسرای عالی; Advanced Art College in English). In 1932, the first Iranian graduated in Machine Engineering and in 1935 the first Iranian graduated in Chemical Engineering. In 1958, the Institute started to enroll students for Masters programs under the name of Tehran Institute of Technology (TIT). In 1963, the Institute transferred to its current location in Narmak in northeast Tehran. In 1972, the title of the college upgraded to the Iran Faculty of Science and Technology due to the growth of the institute by the Ministry of Sciences. The faculty offered four-year bachelor's degrees in most areas of engineering and it is the first and for many years the only engineering university that consist of School of Architecture in the country.
In 1978, it was granted University Status by the Ministry of Sciences. Since then the institute was named Iran University of Science and Technology.
In 1990 it admitted students to Ph.D. programs in Civil Engineering and Materials Engineering fields. In 1995, IUST awarded the first Ph.D. degrees in Iran in the fields of Materials Engineering, Metallurgical Engineering and Traffic Engineering.
The main campus has 15 faculties and three other departments with 380 members of the academic board. On the main campus, 9,000 students are studying in 90 fields of engineering and sciences, out of which 2,000 are M.Sc. and 546 are Ph.D. students. Over 50,000 students have graduated since 1932.
On 28 March 2026, it was bombed by Israeli forces during the 2026 Iran war. A building of the University within the complex was reduced to rubble.
Campus
Northeast of Tehran is where the main campus is situated, expanded in 104 acres (42 ha). Four further campuses of IUST are located in the cities of Arak, Behshahr, Damavand, and Noor; the latter two are still under construction.
Academics
IUST has 15 schools, 44 instruction groups, and 83 fields of study. Over 5,500 students study in the B.Sc program, over 5,400 students are studying in M.Sc. and over 940 are doing Ph.D. disciplines.
School of Electrical Engineering
Departments:
Electronic
Bioelectrical Engineering
Communication
Power
Control
School of Mechanical Engineering
Departments:
Solid Mechanics
Fluid Mechanics
Production and Manufacturing
Aerospace Engineering
Biomechanics
School of materials science
Departments:
Casting
Industrial Metallurgy
Extractive Metallurgy
Ceramic
Extraction of Metals
Biomaterial
Ceramic
School of Civil Engineering
Departments:
Extracurricular activities and association
Iran University of Science and Technology's most significant associations are:
Student's Theater association
Student's Music association
Student's Literature association
Student's Film association
Research
Advanced and High-Tech Research Activities at IUST include:
Hydrostructures at the Department of Civil Engineering
Electronics at the Department of Electrical Engineering
Field of Advanced Materials at the Department of Materials Science and Metallurgical Engineering
Nano Technology as interdepartmental research
Bio-technology in the Department of Medical Engineering
Hydrodynamics, experimental and numerical fluid dynamics research laboratory at the Department of Mechanical Engineering
The University Research Centers include:
Architecture Research Center
Automotive Research Center
Cement Research Center
Center of Excellence in Experimental Solid Mechanics and Dynamics
Center of Excellence in Islamic Architecture
Electronic Research Center
Green Research Center
Information Technology Research Center
Iran Composites Institute
Materials Research Center
Research Center for ICT Strategic and International Studies
World rankings
Times Higher Education
2024–2025: National Rank: 3, Rank in Asia: 79
2020–2021: National Rank: 1, Rank in Asia: 11
2016–2017: National Rank: 1
2015–2016: National Rank: 1, Rank in Asia: 4, International Rank: 9
2014–2015: National Rank: 3, Rank in Asia: 69
According to QS World University Rankings 2016–2017 Iran University of Science and Technology (IUST) ranked as the second university of Iran after Sharif University of Technology and 491–500 among world universities.
Iran University of Science and Technology (IUST) ranked 436th among World universities and 78th in Mathematics and computer science according to 2011–2014 CWTS Leiden Ranking.
In 2017, the U.S. News & World Report ranked IUST Engineering Sciences 113th among world universities. Also, Materials Science of IUST ranked 169 among World Universities.
According to ShanghaiRanking's Global Ranking of Academic Subjects 2017, IUST has been ranked 101–150 among world universities in Metallurgical Engineering and also 151–200 in Mechanical Engineering and Civil Engineering.
U.S. News & World Report
2020 Best Global Universities Ranking
Global Ranking: 870
Engineering : 180
Chemistry: 624
Civil Engineering : 88
Notable people
Politics and government
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (B.S., M.S., PhD. 1997) - sixth President of Iran, and former Mayor of Tehran
Hamid Behbahani (B.S.) - former Iranian Minister of Science, Research and Technology
Kamran Daneshjoo (B.S.) - former Iranian Minister of Science, Research and Technology
AbdolReza Sheikhol Eslami (B.S., M.S., PhD.) - former Iranian Minister of Employment
Mohammad Hossein Saffar Harandi (B.S.) - former Iranian Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance
Seyyed Kazem Vaziri Hamaneh (B.S.) - former Iranian Minister of Petroleum
Mohsen Rezaee (B.S.) - former Chief Commander of the IRGC, and former secretary of the Expediency Discernment Council of the Islamic Republic of Iran
Alireza Ali Ahmadi (B.S.) - former Iranian Minister of Education, former president of Payame Noor University
Mohammad Soleimani (B.S.) - former Minister of Information and Communications Technology
Mehdi Ghazanfari (B.S. 1986) - former Iranian Minister of Industry, Mine and Trade and former Minister of Commerce
Bahman Eshghi (B.S.) — Secretary-General of Tehran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines, and Agriculture
Business
Alireza Nasiri (B.S. 1993) - founder of online degree programs in University of Tehran and father of commercial forestation in Iran
Academia
Abdollah Jasbi (B.S.) - former president of Islamic Azad University
Mohammad Ali Barkhordari (B.S.) - professor of Civil Engineering, former president of Yazd University, University of Zanjan, and Iran University of Science and Technology
Sayyed Mahdi Abtahi (B.S.) - professor of Civil Engineering, former president of Isfahan University of Technology
Jalil Shahi (B.S.) - professor of Civil Engineering, founder and former president of Yazd University, and former president of Iran University of Science and Technology
Film, television, radio, popular culture
Tahmineh Milani (B.S. 1986) - Iranian film director
Homayoun Khorram (B.S.) - Iranian musician, composer, violinist, and a member of the high council of Iran's House of Music
Writing and journalism
Touka Neyestani (B.S.) - Iranian political cartoonist
Ali Abolhassani (B.S. 1975) - Iranian contemporary historiograph