Iran Expels and Suspends Dozens of Students as Protests Spread Across 20 Provinces
Updated
Updated · The Jerusalem Post · Jun 7
Iran Expels and Suspends Dozens of Students as Protests Spread Across 20 Provinces
3 articles · Updated · The Jerusalem Post · Jun 7
Summary
Dozens of Iranian students were suspended or expelled as protests over entrance-exam rules and campus conditions widened, with Shargh reporting more than 20 suspensions, five to seven expulsions at Sharif University, and four students barred at Kermanshah.
75 students were hospitalized after eating at Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, sharpening anger over poor food and resources alongside demands to scrap the mandatory weighting of 11th-grade GPA in university entrance exams.
At least one protester was arrested in Qom, students were reportedly injured in clashes in Yazd, and demonstrations have spread since May across more than 20 provinces including Tehran, Isfahan, Khuzestan and Razavi Khorasan.
The crackdown fits a broader post-January repression campaign marked by mass arrests, a nearly three-month internet blackout, and threats to charge users of circumvention tools with espionage, which can carry the death penalty.
Is Iran's university exam protest really about grades, or a generation's rebellion for a future?
With Iran at war, can Gen Z's protests survive the regime's brutal crackdown on dissent?
Nationwide Student Uprising in Iran: 2026 Protests Over GPA Policy and Government Crackdown
Overview
In early June 2026, a controversial policy making high school GPA a decisive factor in Iran’s national university entrance exam sparked widespread outrage among students. Viewing the change as unfair and burdensome, students across at least 20 provinces and more than 20 cities rapidly organized protests. The movement began with rallies in cities like Shiraz and quickly spread nationwide, reflecting deep frustration with systemic inequalities in education. The government responded with heavy security presence and arrests, but students remained determined, highlighting both the scale of discontent and the resilience of Iran’s youth in demanding justice and fairness.