Bahai Institute for Higher Education

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The Baha'i Institute for Higher Education ( English : Bahá'í Institute for Higher Education ; Persian : دانشگاه علمی آزاد; BIHE ) is an educational network that was founded in 1987 by the Iranian Baha'i community. She decided to take this step after the state banned the access of Baha'i youths to higher education.

With a main faculty in Iran and an affiliated global faculty from universities around the world, BIHE offers 38 bachelor and graduate programs in the fields of natural sciences, engineering, economics and management, humanities and social sciences. To date, more than 80 universities in North America, Europe and Australia have accepted BIHE graduates directly into the master’s programs at the master’s and doctoral level. BIHE has a decentralized and fluid structure and uses a hybrid approach of offline and online delivery methods which has made it possible to grow under unusual socio-political circumstances. Despite numerous arrests, regular robberies, mass confiscation of teaching materials and objects, and other repression measures, the BIHE continued and even expanded its operations in Iran. BIHE has received praise for a nonviolent, creative and constructive response to the ongoing oppression.

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