I Was Denied University Admission Despite Ranking 54 in Math Entrance Exam and Winning a National Silver Medal

“When I came to this country as a refugee six years ago, I never imagined I would stand here today.” He is wearing a graduation gown and speaking in front of graduates and professors of the Mathematics and Computer Science department at the University of Santa Cruz: “I was not allowed to enter university in Iran.” This is said by Halako Rahmanian, a 29-year-old who has now received his PhD in Computer Science with a focus on Artificial Intelligence from the University of Santa Cruz, California, and has been hired by Microsoft. However, in Iran, despite achieving a good rank and winning a national silver medal in the Olympiad, he was barred from attending university due to his Bahá'í faith. Since the Islamic Revolution, many Bahá'ís have been denied the right to higher education. Mr. Rahmanian tells Radio Farda: “In 2006, I won a national silver medal in the math Olympiad. If I had won a gold medal, I could have entered university without an entrance exam, but with a silver medal, I had to take the entrance exam. So, I studied hard.” In 2007, when he was 18 years old, he took the national entrance exam in three fields: mathematics, language, and art. His results were not bad: “I received a rank of 54 in mathematics, 114 in art, and 260 in language, and due to my interest in mathematics and computer science, I chose 27 related fields at the universities of Tehran, Sharif, and Kharazmi.” However, when the final exam results were announced, he was shocked: “The results were announced online, and next to my name, it said; failed and I was not accepted in any field.” The day after the results were announced, he went to the central office of the Organization for Educational Assessment in Karim Khan Street as a protester: “I remember when I told a lady who was handling the complaints; she first said: You must have failed! I said: But my rank is 54, and I have chosen 27 fields. If each field accepts just two students, I should be accepted in my last choice. Then I was sent to another room called the selection of professors and students. There, I was asked what my religion was. I said I was Bahá'í. They said: Exactly for this reason, you have not been accepted.” He did not give up on the issue and sought his rights wherever he could think of: “I went to the parliament, the citizen rights headquarters, the judiciary, and the Ministry of Science, but received no answers. They did not disrespect me; they just said: You cannot enter university because of your religion, and they all said the order came from a higher authority.” They did not provide him with any written notice explaining the denial of his university admission: “They only said orally that you cannot enter university. After receiving no answer from the Organization for Educational Assessment on Karim Khan Street, I went to the branch of the Organization for Educational Assessment in Mohseni City, Karaj, where most administrative matters are handled. When I protested, they said you had a deficiency in your file.” The term deficiency in the file has recently been used officially to deny Bahá'ís admission to universities. Halako Rahmanian took the entrance exam again the following year, hoping to be accepted this time. However, in his second entrance exam, even his rank was not announced: “They did not write any rank or percentage for me. They only wrote that there was a deficiency in the file and referred me to a room in the Organization for Educational Assessment in Mohseni City.” He visited there a second time: “A man was sitting behind a desk with a long list. He asked for my name and started searching in his list. Out of curiosity, I glanced at his list, and it was really upsetting because all I could see were the names of Bahá'í students. There I realized that the system for eliminating Bahá'ís from universities is systematic and completely organized, and it is not random at all.” He tried to get a written response. Therefore, he applied for membership in the National Elite Foundation: “Because I had a silver medal from the Olympiad, I was eligible for membership in the National Elite Foundation. On the other hand, I could also become a member based on my entrance exam rank. So, I went to the Organization for Educational Assessment and requested a rank certificate. A certificate showing my rank in the entrance exam.” He followed up on this matter multiple times. He called several times and inquired about the issuance of his certificate. His persistence paid off, and a rank certificate was sent to them from the Organization for Educational Assessment: “The candidate number, year of the entrance exam, and all my details were correct, but it stated that I had obtained a rank of zero in the entrance exam.” Halako Rahmanian, like many Bahá'ís, chose to continue his studies at BIHE (Bahá'í Institute for Higher Education). BIHE is an unofficial educational institution in Iran established in 1987 by Bahá'ís to provide educational opportunities for their children. In recent years, many Bahá'ís have been arrested and imprisoned for teaching and studying at this university. Therefore, no formal classes are held at this university. Students study independently, and only remedial classes are held at the homes of volunteers. Mr. Rahmanian obtained a bachelor's degree in mathematics and computer science from this university and then entered the United States as a refugee. He applied to various universities for his PhD, but many universities do not recognize BIHE: “For example, the computer department at Texas A&M University accepted me, but the university rejected me, saying that BIHE is not recognized by the Ministry of Science in Iran. However, some universities had been informed, and it was a pleasant feeling to find BIHE's name on the long list of undergraduate universities. Seeing that this university was recognized somewhere made me forget all the self-study and informal classes and hardships.” The University of Santa Cruz accepted Halako Rahmanian as a PhD student: “I had been so troubled by small things that everything about the formal classroom was exciting for me.” During his PhD, he interned at Google, Microsoft, and eBay: “When employees or other interns realized I was Iranian, they would ask if I studied at Sharif or Tehran. When I said neither and explained my story, they were left speechless. They could not imagine that there is a place in the world where such things happen and that we are deprived of our rights so easily and study so hard.” Nevertheless, the way he studied and the path he took was interesting to many, like the professor who chose Halako Rahmanian for the PhD program at the University of Santa Cruz: “Later he said he wanted to take me because I had studied in an unconventional way.” He is set to work at Microsoft, but before joining the company, he will go to Japan. He has been invited to work as a visiting researcher at Kyushu University in Japan for a few months: “They were interested in my PhD thesis. I have designed mathematical models that are applicable to artificial intelligence. In other words, I mathematically prove that these models are effective in artificial intelligence.” Halako Rahmanian is happy with his success but has another wish: to return to Iran one day and teach at BIHE. In this context, “The Right to Education; A Right That Is Denied to Some” from security charges in Nasrin Sotoudeh's case to the expulsion of Bahá'í students from universities. Janidi: Rouhani's order to the Minister of Science regarding star-studded students is explicit. Minister of Science: We have no politically star-studded students. Mahmoud Sadeghi: 549 star-studded students have returned to university with a commitment. At least 150 star-studded master's and doctoral students. “Unofficial apartheid” in the Islamic Republic. The Organization for Educational Assessment prevents more than 70 Bahá'í citizens from entering universities. Preventing several Bahá'í citizens and Gonabadi Dervishes from continuing their education. Changing the playing field of “proxies”; war against the people in the streets of Iran. Iran's crisis; the responsibility of the opposition and the possibility of radicalizing Iranian society. The death of the last Mossad representative in Tehran amid the Iran crisis.