Despite official claims that “no student is deprived,” the reality of starred students, expulsions, and imprisoned activists shows systematic denial of the right to education.
As the new academic year begins, Iranian regime officials once again claim that “no student is deprived of education” and that “everyone has returned to university.” Yet the reality tells a different story: cases of starred students, bans, expulsions, and dozens of imprisoned student activists highlight the deep and ongoing gap between rhetoric and truth.
In late 2024, the regime issued a similar declaration, announcing the supposed “return of dozens of students” previously barred from higher education. But despite repeated promises, systematic exclusion persists, rooted in decades of state repression.
A History of Educational Purges
The deprivation of students from education in Iran is not new. It dates back to the aftermath of the 1979 revolution and the so-called “Cultural Revolution” (1980–1983), when universities were closed, faculty purged, and a framework for politically “screening” students was institutionalized under the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution.
Over time, intelligence agencies, prosecutors’ offices, and other security institutions assumed direct control over admissions and disciplinary processes. University disciplinary committees were empowered to suspend, expel, or ban students for up to five years, making education conditional on political conformity.
The System of “Starring” Students
The practice of “starring” became formalized during Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s presidency in the mid-2000s, particularly in postgraduate admissions. Under this system:
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One star or two stars meant conditional admission, often requiring students to pledge they would abstain from political activity or submit to security clearance.
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Three stars meant complete exclusion, with students barred from registering despite passing entrance exams.
Although the Ministry of Science officially stopped printing stars on transcripts in 2007, the practice continued through coded classifications such as “file defect.” Officials denied the existence of “three-star” bans, but dozens of students reported being permanently blocked from enrollment.
Broken Promises of Reform
The 2013 change in government brought new promises to resolve the issue. Yet independent reports confirmed that the system merely adapted: the labels changed, but the mechanisms of exclusion—administrative codes, disciplinary orders, and security vetting—remained in place.
Since the nationwide protests of 2022, repression has intensified. Universities witnessed an unprecedented wave of expulsions, suspensions, bans from dormitories, and criminal cases against student activists. Dozens were sentenced to prison, exposing the regime’s strategy of targeting young voices of dissent.
Official Denial Versus Reality
Ahead of the 2025 academic year, Hossein Simaei Saraf, Minister of Science, Research and Technology in the regime’s 14th government, declared:
“We have no obstacles to any student’s education; all cases that had led to exclusion for various reasons—including the events of 2022—were reviewed, and all of them returned to university.”
Yet the lived reality contradicts this rhetoric. Reports show that many students remain barred, imprisoned, or under surveillance. The tools of repression—whether starring, coded “file defects,” disciplinary committees, or intelligence interventions—continue to function as before, only under different names.
Education as a Political Weapon
For decades, the Iranian regime has weaponized access to education, turning universities into sites of ideological control rather than free inquiry. The right to education, enshrined as a fundamental human right, remains hostage to security institutions and political loyalty tests.
The persistence of the starred student system—whether openly or in disguised forms—demonstrates that behind the regime’s public assurances, systematic repression of critical voices in universities continues unabated.
