Iranian grad students increasingly eyeing Canada for study

Students in the Middle Eastern country have to pass a national exam to get into university and, similar to undergraduates in Canada, they have to spend four years studying before applying to a graduate program. They come to Canada from top-notch schools such as Sharif University of Science and Technology or the University of Tehran.

Kasra Nikooyeh is not surprised Iranian engineers are choosing Alberta to continue their careers.

The 26-year-old chemical engineering student said Iranian students are using blogs and emails to share their stories with their peers back home.

“There are five or six schools in Iran where the students are coming from, so the word of mouth has a significant impact in this recruitment,” he said.
Some of the students are snatched up by oil companies and energy contractors in Alberta.

However, others have dreams of returning home.

Mahdi HajiAghayi is in his second year of a PhD program at the University of Toronto. He completed a master’s program at the University of Alberta two years ago.

“Now it’s easier to come because there is a bigger community of Iranians performing well, but the jobs opportunities here remain limited,” he said.

He is planning to finish his degree in Canada and then go back to Iran.

“I want to pass my experience to the future generations there and I am very positive that the situation in my country will improve.”

- The Canadian Press