Ferdowsi University of Mashhad

Ferdowsi University of Mashhad (FUM) (Persian: دانشگاه فردوسی مشهد) is the largest research university in eastern Iran named after the great epic poet and historian of Iranian national history Ferdowsi, whose Shahnameh (The Book of Kings) is a chef-d'oeuvre in Persian literature. FUM campus is located in Mashhad, the capital city of the Razavi Khorasan province. The university was established in 1949, making it the third oldest major university in Iran. It is among the five top universities in the country according to statistics published by the Iranian Ministry of Sciences, Research and Technology. FUM offers 180 bachelors, masters, and Ph.D. programs to 19,000 male and female students studying under about 700 faculty members with the aid of 2000 staff employees. The university is regarded as a prominent institution in attracting international students from Central Asian republics, Afghanistan, Turkey, Lebanon, Syria, and Africa. The university is ranked 3rd in Iran amongst other universities in recruiting foreign students. Prior to the Islamic Revolution of Iran in 1979, Ferdowsi University had taken for its ally Georgetown University of Washington, D.C., USA.