Islamic Azad University WES Evaluation for Canada: What to Expect

Islamic Azad University (IAU) is one of the largest university networks in the world, with over 400 branches across Iran and a student body that exceeds 1.5 million. If you hold a degree from an IAU branch and are planning to apply for Canadian permanent residency through Express Entry, understanding exactly how WES evaluates your credential is not a peripheral concern — it directly determines your CRS score and can mean the difference between an ITA this year or waiting another two years.

The Core Problem: Branch Variation

WES does not evaluate "IAU degrees" as a category. It evaluates degrees from specific IAU branches, and the outcomes vary significantly depending on which branch issued your credential and what kind of program it was.

The IAU system ranges from internationally recognized research universities (the Science and Research Branch in Tehran being the most prominent) to smaller regional branches where programs may lack the thesis requirements or institutional accreditation that WES uses to justify full degree equivalency.

Here is how the outcomes typically break down:

Full Canadian equivalency (bachelor's or master's as the case may be):

• IAU Science and Research Branch (Tehran)
• IAU Central Tehran Branch
• IAU North Tehran Branch
• IAU Isfahan (Khorasgan) Branch
• Other large urban branches with established graduate programs and thesis requirements

Risk of downgrade to Graduate Diploma or equivalent:

• Smaller provincial or regional branches where the Master's program does not require a traditional thesis
• Programs that were primarily coursework-based with a project rather than a full thesis
• Branches that were not yet fully accredited by the Ministry of Science at the time of your graduation

High risk of rejection or severe downgrade:

• Programs from branches that operated without MSRT recognition at the time of your attendance
• Distance learning or online IAU programs with limited in-person contact hours
• Some pre-2005 programs from branches that have since been consolidated or closed

How to Know Before You Apply

You cannot know for certain how WES will evaluate your degree before submitting, but you can assess the risk level by asking two questions:

1. Did your program require a thesis (Payan-nameh or Ettelaa-ye Elmi)? For Master's degrees, a thesis or substantial research project is the primary indicator WES uses to confirm the credential meets master's-level requirements. If your program was entirely coursework-based, WES may evaluate it as a Graduate Diploma, which scores 128 CRS points for a single applicant compared to 135 for a master's — a 7-point difference that could matter in a tight draw.

2. Was your branch accredited by the Ministry of Science at the time you graduated? MSRT maintains an accreditation list. Your branch's registrar can confirm this, or you can check through the MSRT's online systems. Graduates of non-accredited branches face a high risk of document rejection by WES.

What to Include to Prevent a Downgrade

If you graduated from an IAU branch and your Master's program included a thesis, you must include proof of this with your WES submission. WES will not assume a thesis was completed — it must be documented. Include:

• The thesis title page (Safhe-ye Onvan)
• Your thesis abstract or the official thesis defense document
• If available, the committee sign-off sheet showing your thesis was approved

These documents should be sent in the same sealed institutional envelope as your transcripts, with the university registrar's confirmation that they are authentic.

For Bachelor's degrees, the equivalency is generally straightforward if the branch was accredited and the program was four years (Karshenasi, 130+ credit units). The critical question is whether your branch appears on WES's recognized institution list.

The Sharif University Situation

Sharif University of Technology (Daneshgah-e Sharif) is a state university — not part of the Azad system — and is consistently among the top-ranked engineering and science universities in the Middle East. WES evaluates Sharif degrees at full Canadian equivalency without exception.

A Karshenasi from Sharif evaluates as a Canadian bachelor's degree (120 CRS points). A Karshenasi Arshad evaluates as a Canadian master's (135 points). A Doctorate evaluates as a Canadian PhD (150 points). There are no credibility concerns with Sharif credentials in the Canadian immigration system.

The document preparation process for Sharif follows the standard state university path: Sajjad Portal, Laghv-e Ta'ahod (if applicable), and direct institutional mail to WES. The Sharif registrar's office is familiar with international document requests and the process tends to be more streamlined than at smaller institutions.

Similarly, the University of Tehran, Amirkabir University of Technology, Iran University of Science and Technology, and Isfahan University of Technology all receive full Canadian equivalency from WES with no branch-related risk.

If Your IAU Degree Was Downgraded

If WES evaluates your credential lower than you expected, you have two options:

Request a reassessment. WES allows applicants to submit additional documentation and request a review of the initial evaluation. For Master's degrees, submitting thesis documentation that was not included in the original submission is the most common basis for a reassessment. This costs an additional fee and takes several additional weeks.

Apply under the correct credential level. If your IAU Master's is downgraded to a Graduate Diploma, your Express Entry CRS score will reflect the diploma-level education points. You can still submit a profile, but you will need to compensate through stronger language scores, provincial nomination, or additional work experience to reach competitive CRS territory.

The IAU Document Process

Unlike state universities, IAU branches do not always route through the Sajjad Portal for international document release. Some larger branches have their own international offices that communicate directly with WES. The specific process depends on your branch.

Before approaching the registrar, confirm:

• Whether your branch requires Sajjad Portal verification or has its own international verification process
• Whether Laghv-e Ta'ahod applies to IAU graduates (it typically applies to state university graduates who received subsidized tuition, but some IAU-Ministry agreements extend it)
• The branch's experience with sending documents to WES Canada specifically

For practical guidance on navigating the WES submission for Iranian degrees — including the IAU-specific documentation questions and the state university Sajjad Portal process — the Iran → Canada Express Entry Guide covers both paths in detail.

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