Editing Ferdowsi University of Mashhad (section)

=== Foreign students ===
The Ferdowsi University of Mashhad is regarded as the first institution in attracting foreign students, mainly from Afghanistan, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Bahrain, Central Asian republics,<ref name="ReferenceA" /> after the efforts made during the presidency of Ahmadinejad who declared Mashhad as "Iran's spiritual capital".<ref name="khorasannews.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.khorasannews.com/News.aspx?type=1&year=1388&month=8&day=9&id=281168|date=27 May 2015|website=www.khorasannews.com|language=fa|script-title=fa:مشهد، پايتخت معنوي ايران اعلام شد|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150527002512/http://www.khorasannews.com/News.aspx?type=1&year=1388&month=8&day=9&id=281168|archive-date=2015-05-27|access-date=2017-10-24}}</ref><ref name="Shahr.ir">{{cite news|url=http://shahr.ir/fa/news/3841/%D9%86%D8%A7%D9%85%E2%80%8C%DA%AF%D8%B0%D8%A7%D8%B1%D9%8A-%D9%85%D8%B4%D9%87%D8%AF-%D8%A8%D9%87-%D8%B9%D9%86%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%86-%D9%BE%D8%A7%D9%8A%D8%AA%D8%AE%D8%AA-%D9%85%D8%B9%D9%86%D9%88%D9%8A|date=1 November 2009|access-date=26 October 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20131026085822/http://shahr.ir/fa/news/3841/%D9%86%D8%A7%D9%85%E2%80%8C%DA%AF%D8%B0%D8%A7%D8%B1%D9%8A-%D9%85%D8%B4%D9%87%D8%AF-%D8%A8%D9%87-%D8%B9%D9%86%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%86-%D9%BE%D8%A7%D9%8A%D8%AA%D8%AE%D8%AA-%D9%85%D8%B9%D9%86%D9%88%D9%8A|archive-date=26 October 2013|publisher=Shahr.ir|language=fa|script-title=fa:نام‌گذاري مشهد به عنوان پايتخت معنوي|trans-title=Designation of Mashhad as the spiritual capital of Iran}}</ref> Currently, more than 1,300 foreign students  have enrolled in the Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, which form one twentieth of the university students. According to the head of the University, more than half of the  foreign students studying at the Ferdowsi University of Mashhad are from Afghanistan and have were admitted at the university by using scholarships (106 students), through participating in the National entrance examination (199 students) and as independent students (204 people).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://snn.ir/fa/news/464262/%D8%AA%D8%AD%D8%B5%DB%8C%D9%84-%DB%B5%DB%B0%DB%B9-%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%B4%D8%AC%D9%88%DB%8C-%D8%A7%D9%81%D8%BA%D8%A7%D9%86%DB%8C-%D8%AF%D8%B1-%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%B4%DA%AF%D8%A7%D9%87-%D9%81%D8%B1%D8%AF%D9%88%D8%B3%DB%8C-%D8%A8%DB%8C%D8%B4%D8%AA%D8%B1%DB%8C%D9%86-%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%B4%D8%AC%D9%88%DB%8C-%D8%AE%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%AC%DB%8C-%D8%AF%D8%B1-%D8%A7%DB%8C%D9%86-%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%B4%DA%AF%D8%A7%D9%87|title=تحصیل ۵۰۹ دانشجوی افغانی در دانشگاه فردوسی/ بیشترین دانشجوی خارجی در این دانشگاه|website=snn.ir}}</ref>

According to a deputy president of Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, most of the foreign students studying in Iran are from Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, Pakistan, and Turkey. According to Iran's Minister of Science, Research, and Technology (in a speech at a graduation ceremony of a number of foreign students of Ferdowsi University of Mashhad), many efforts were underway to attract as many as 25,000 by 2015 during the presidency of Ahmadinejad: "The improvement of the quality of universities has paved the way for the enrollment of foreign students. Fourteen thousand foreign students from 92 countries are currently studying at Iran's universities. And if we include the 12,000 foreign students studying at Al-Mustafa (International) University, a total of 26,000 foreign students are studying at higher education institutions in the country".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://wenr.wes.org/2013/09/wenr-augustseptember-2013-middle-east|title=Regional News, August/September 2013, Mideast|date=September 1, 2013|website=WENR}}</ref>