The weekend deal reached between Iran and world powers to roll back portions of Iran's nuclear program and ease some sanctions includes a part of interest to Iranian foreign students.
One of the voluntary measures that the U.S. and other countries agreed on is to establish a financial channel using Iranian oil revenues held abroad for humanitarian trade involving food, medicine and the like. It also would make it possible to provide direct tuition payments to universities and colleges for Iranian students studying abroad.
A recent report showed that Iran ranks 15th among nations that send students to the United States (see the report on Iran here).
In the 2012-13 academic year, 8,744 students from Iran were studying in the United States, an increase of 25.2 percent from the previous year, according to a report from the Institution of International Education with support from the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Of the total, 82 percent were graduate students.
"Students from Iran at one time were the largest international student group in America. We are not surprised that Iranians would like to come here to study or that Iranian students currently in the United States and other countries are facing difficulties and would benefit from tuition assistance," said IIE president Alan Goodman.