Junior Colleges in the Islamic Republic of Iran

The intent of this chapter is to describe the characteristics of the junior colleges in Iran and to make a comparison with the community college model in the United States. One thing that needs to be clear here is that the junior colleges in Iran are quite distinct from the community colleges in the United States as their philosophy and the function is varied and different from the US model. In contrast to the American community college model which is a comprehensive one, the junior colleges in Iran have historically been short-cycle educational institutions producing mid-manpower workforce in technical and vocational fields

In recent years, due to the population expansion and the number of young population in Iran (70% of the population is under 25 years of age) and the subsequent rise in demand for higher education, the number of short-cycle educational institutions has increased. The newly established junior colleges offer nontraditional courses, and they are mostly private institutions established by the private industries, such as films, to respond to the interests of young people