In order to expand higher education in the Iranian province of Guilan, the Lahijan branch of Islamic Azad University was founded on November 28, 1988, with the group efforts of a number of key figures in the city, including Dr. Mirmozffar Masoumi (professor of mathematics at the University of Tehran) with initial disciplines such as applied mathematics, microbiology, fisheries engineering, and the environment.

Now, the university (as one of the biggest universities in Iran) with more than 6,900 students, 21,500 square meters of owned land, 52,217 square meters of educational and research space, three faculties, one medical center, one verified technology incubation and growth center, and two verified research centers plays an important role in Iran’s higher education sector, according to the National Vision Document of the Islamic Republic of Iran and article 44 of the constitution.