Currency collapse, sanctions and rising costs: Why Iranian students are vanishing from Karnataka campuses

BENGALURU: The sharp depreciation of the Iranian rial amid continuing international sanctions has significantly eroded the value of remittances, placing financial strain on Iranian students in Karnataka and contributing to a steep decline in their presence across universities in the state.

Students say the collapsing currency has disrupted financial support from home, forcing many to reassess their education plans. While some have managed to continue with scholarships and limited research assistance, others are struggling to meet basic expenses.


Tima Hosseini, a first-year psychology postgraduate student in Mysuru, said scholarships have offered partial relief, and many peers are facing hardships. "Some take up photography to make some money. We cannot take up full-time employment on a student visa. I had clients back in Iran, but with everything becoming expensive there, it has become unaffordable for them too," she said.

Abu Bakr, a final-year PhD scholar in Mysuru, said he has gotten by on a Rs 27,000 ICCR stipend without depending on financial support from home. "I have managed six years so far," he said. "There aren't a lot of Iranian students around now. Many returned home and haven't come back. Between 2010 and 2015, one would see many Iranian students flocking universities here for various courses, which is not the case now."

He said the currency collapse has been stark. "From 150 rials a rupee in 2021 to about 14,000 rials a rupee as on Saturday," he said, highlighting the rapid erosion of purchasing power and the impact on tuition fees, rent and living costs.

Alikali, from Democratic Republic of Congo, and a long-standing member of the Federation of International Students in Bengaluru (FISAB), said the association currently has no Iranian members. "They would take up medical courses in the past, not so much any more," he said.

A Bengaluru-based doctor, who graduated in 2001, recalled a period when Iranian students were a prominent presence in medical, paramedical and allied health streams in the city. "The numbers visibly seem to be tapering," he said. Hosseini echoed the sentiment, pointing to a broader decline in student-led community structures. "Even the Iranian student association does not seem to exist," she said.

Universities and student groups say the shrinking presence of Iranian students reflects broader global economic and geopolitical pressures, with sanctions, currency volatility and rising costs reshaping international student mobility. The trend has implications for campus diversity and the international student ecosystem in Karnataka, which has historically attracted learners from West Asia and Africa.