Open Data Iran: The Number of Religious Seminaries in Iran is 5 Times Greater than Universities

The 'Open Data Iran' platform has reported in a recent study that the number of active religious seminaries in Iran is five times greater than the number of public universities. This analytical platform, citing information from the official website of religious seminaries, announced the existence of at least 1,120 seminaries and specialized jurisprudential centers in Iran, while stating that the total number of public universities funded by the government is 206. The 'Open Data Iran' platform added that considering tuition-based educational institutions, including Azad University, Payame Noor, and non-profit institutions, there are approximately 2,600 academic institutions in Iran, which is more than twice the total number of seminaries. According to this statistical research, the provinces of Qom, Razavi Khorasan, Tehran, and Isfahan have the highest number of active seminaries. Qom ranks first with 122 seminaries, followed by Razavi Khorasan with 117 religious schools, and Tehran and Isfahan each with 99 seminaries in second and third places, respectively. Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province has the least number of religious centers with 8. The 'Open Data Iran' platform noted that out of a total of 470 counties in Iran, 400 counties have at least one seminary. Qom, with 122 seminaries and specialized jurisprudential centers, ranks first, while Hamadan has 7 centers, ranking last. While a significant portion of the financial resources for these religious institutions is provided through the annual budget, at least 13 trillion tomans have been allocated to seminaries in the current budget law. According to this report, these institutions also receive unspecified amounts from sources such as religious dues, endowments, and government assistance. The 'Open Data Iran' platform has examined the budget allocations for seminaries based on the 2023 budget law. Another notable point in this report is the relative equality in the number of male and female seminaries, despite the traditionally male-dominated structure of seminaries. Currently, 56% of religious schools are for men, and 44% for women, although no statistics have been published on the capacity of seminaries and the number of their students. The 'Open Data Iran' platform published a list of the characteristics of seminaries and religious schools in Iran, stating that all these centers are managed under three main bodies: the Management Center of Brothers' Seminaries across the country, the Management Center of Sisters' Seminaries, and the Supreme Council of Seminaries in Khorasan. The significant increase in the budget for religious, propaganda, and military-security institutions this year has occurred at a time when access for some Iranian universities to international scientific databases has been restricted due to unpaid debts. Access to international scientific databases has been cut off for Tehran University due to debt. An official from the Ministry of Science stated that they attract double the number of foreign students from Islamic countries; a look at the community of Al-Mustafa. The seminary in Mazandaran issued a statement declaring 'any possibility of an assassination attempt' on Ibrahim Fazl as 'eliminated.'