At 4am on a cold March morning, part of the Amirkabir University of Technology collapsed. No one was hurt, but the incident, caused by long-neglected water leaks, was far from isolated. Across Iran, university students are living in crumbling, overcrowded dormitories, struggling to afford food and facing rising violence.

Iran¡¯s universities were once engines of social mobility, offering free or low-cost education to generations. But now the system is buckling under economic strain, mismanagement and political neglect, to such an extent that it threatens not just students¡¯ academic futures but their basic well-being.?

The signs of decay are everywhere. At Shahid Beheshti University in Tehran, last winter after carbon monoxide leaked from a faulty dormitory heating system. At Khajeh Nasir Toosi University in Tehran, a after falling from unsafe dormitory stairs. And at Farhangian University, .?

¡°Every semester, something breaks ¨C the heating, the plumbing, the electricity,¡± says?a University of Tehran literature student, who, like everyone else quoted in this article, requested anonymity for fear of reprisals. ¡°Last winter, we had no hot water for weeks. The university just told us to be patient.¡±

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Officially, Iran¡¯s Ministry of Science has acknowledged the problems. Mohammad-Ali Zolfigol, the science minister, called dormitory conditions ¡°deeply concerning¡± after a series of high-profile incidents. But students say promises of reform ¨C such as a five-year national renovation plan ¨C ring hollow when immediate dangers remain unaddressed.?

Perhaps the most visible symbol of neglect is kaf-khabi ¨C literally, ¡°floor-sleeping¡±. With dormitories chronically overcrowded, many students have no choice but to sleep on the floor of dormitory rooms designed for four but to which six or more are assigned. At Sharif University, one of Iran¡¯s most prestigious institutions, engineering students report bunk beds crammed into spaces barely large enough for desks. ¡°The university keeps admitting more students but doesn¡¯t expand housing,¡± says a graduate student there. ¡°They tell us, ¡®If you don¡¯t like it, leave.¡¯ But where are we supposed to go?¡±?

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Renting privately is hardly an option. With inflation above 40 per cent, even shared apartments in expensive cities like Tehran are out of reach for most students, while commuting from distant suburbs means hours on unreliable public transport each day.?

Iran¡¯s already fragile system of student financial support is collapsing. that fewer than 7 per cent of the?3 million students registered by the Ministry of Science receive government loans ¨C a statistic that forces most to depend on family assistance or part-time menial work.

Even basic sustenance is becoming unattainable. PhD candidates face delays of up to six months before receiving their insufficient stipends. And this year¡¯s budget saw the?, breaking with years of established practice.

¡°Some days, I skip lunch to save money,¡± admits a physics student at Isfahan University. ¡°What used to be an affordable meal plan now costs half my monthly budget.¡± While a new charity fund offers meal vouchers, it is unable to meet more than a fraction of the need.

Simultaneously, the privatisation of campus services has created a paradox of declining quality amid rising costs.¡°We¡¯ve entered the worst of both worlds,¡± explains a Shiraz medical student. ¡°Our dorm cafeterias went from serving cheap, mediocre food to expensive, inedible meals.¡± Official audits confirm her experience, showing price increases of between 20 and 35 per cent at privatised facilities, with no corresponding improvement in quality or nutrition.

Critics say the shift reflects a broader abandonment of public education. ¡°The government talks about supporting students, but its real priority is cutting costs,¡± says a professor at Allameh Tabataba¡¯i University. ¡°Privatisation is just a way to offload responsibility.¡±?

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Security has deteriorated alarmingly across campuses, too. Near the University of Tehran, armed robberies have become routine ¨C a grim reality underscored when Amir Mohammad Khaleghi, a business student, was during a mugging just blocks from campus. Medical students from Shahid Beheshti University and Golestan University of Medical Sciences have also been the victims of , while Khajeh Nasir Toosi University suffers from regular car break-ins.

Institutional responses remain shockingly inadequate. University of Tehran administrators¡¯ response to student protests following Khaleghi¡¯s murder is typical, claiming they ¡°lack sufficient budget for security cameras and patrols¡±. Yet protesting students point to the proliferation of surveillance technology on campus. ¡°They¡¯ve installed hundreds of cameras to watch us, but none to protect us,¡± a protesting student says. ¡°The university sees us as the security threat, not the actual criminals.¡±

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This bitter irony became a rallying cry during the protests, with students chanting: ¡°Hundreds of morality guards, but not a single security guard¡±. And when demonstrations erupted at Khajeh Nasir, administrators warned students to ¡°avoid causing trouble¡± rather than addressing the security failures that led to the tragedy.

The consequences extend far beyond campus. With job prospects bleak even for graduates, many students see emigration as their only hope. ¡°Why would I stay?¡± asks a computer science major. ¡°The classrooms are falling apart, the dorms are dangerous, and after graduation there¡¯s no future.¡±

The government blames international sanctions for budget shortfalls. But students note that ideological programmes continue to see annual funding increases even as food subsidies and emergency loans for students are removed.

¡°They¡¯ll spend millions on ideological campaigns but won¡¯t fix a leaking roof,¡± says the Sharif graduate student. ¡°It tells you everything about their priorities.¡±?

Without urgent intervention, the system risks collapse. But for now, the message to students is clear: You¡¯re on your own. As one dormitory resident at Amirkabir University put it: ¡°We came here to study. But now we¡¯re just fighting to survive.¡±

Roohola Ramezani?has a PhD in philosophy from?Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran. He was formerly a?research fellow at?the IFK International Research Centre for Cultural Studies in?Vienna.

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