Sheikh Bahaei University

What Sheikh Bahaei University does

Sheikh Bahaei University (دانشگاه شیخ بهایی) is a private non-governmental, non-profit university located in Baharestan New Town near Isfahan, Iran. It was founded in 1996 by 10 professors from the University of Isfahan under Iran's 1994 Law of Non-Governmental and Non-Profitable Universities and operates under the supervision of the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology. The institution delivers accredited higher-education programs across five faculties — Engineering, General Courses, Foreign Languages, Mathematics and Computer Science, and Management — comprising 12 undergraduate, 16 master's, and 1 doctoral program (in English Language Teaching), serving approximately 2,715 students recruited nationally through the Sanjesh entrance exam.

The university operates a 10+ hectare main campus with comprehensive development plans to scale capacity to 5,000 students, supported by dedicated welfare, cultural, and research facilities, plus an in-house Research Center (established 2001) providing applied research and consulting services to nearby industrial clusters. Its internal technology stack is built around an open-source university management system developed and maintained by the IT Center since 2009, covering education, finance, accounting, payroll, property, and library subsystems; the platform is offered to peer institutions under support contracts. Complementary in-house systems include the Vianna LMS, a student information portal, an automated feeding system, and a library management platform.

The business model is tuition-driven and Ministry-regulated, with admissions channeled exclusively through national entrance examinations. Revenue is supplemented by ancillary services including student financing facilitation (via Bank Melli Iran Qard al-Hasan loans and the Student Welfare Fund), insurance and healthcare partnerships, and modest software support contracts to other higher-education institutions. The institution does not develop commercial AI products and has no disclosed international or online program footprint.

Name

Sheikh Bahaei University

Legal name

Sheikh Bahaei University (دانشگاه شیخ بهایی)

Website

https://shbu.ac.ir

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Sheikh Bahaei University is a private non-governmental Iranian university in Baharestan, near Isfahan, founded in 1996 by University of Isfahan professors, delivering accredited undergraduate, master's, and doctoral programs across five faculties to approximately 2,715 students.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Comprehensive Doctoral Research Universities (Multi-Disciplinary) (EDAHABAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

STEM-Focused Research Universities (Engineering & Applied Sciences) (EDAHABAB), Secular/Nonsectarian Liberal Arts Colleges (EDAHACAG)

Keywords

• Higher education services
• Undergraduate degree programs
• Graduate engineering education
• Private university education
• Academic research programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Baharestan

HQ country

Iran

HQ region

Middle East

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Tuition Fees: As a private non-governmental university (Non-Profit), Sheikh Bahaei University generates revenue primarily through tuition fees paid by students. Students pay tuition per semester which is regulated by the Ministry of Science. Student loans are available through Bank Melli Iran (Qard al-Hasan) and the Student Welfare Fund.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Sheikh Bahaei University is a private, non-governmental, non-profit university that delivers accredited higher education in Iran through 12 undergraduate programs, 16 master's programs, and 1 doctoral program across five faculties: Engineering, General Courses, Foreign Languages, Mathematical Sciences and Computer Science, and Management. Its IT center also maintains an in-house open-source Comprehensive University Management System (operational since 2009, covering education, finance, accounting, payroll, property, warehouse, and library subsystems) along with the Vianna E-Learning platform, and licenses this open-source stack (with support contracts) to other Iranian higher-education institutions.

Product overview

Sheikh Bahaei University is a non-governmental higher education institution offering academic programs across 5 faculties (Engineering, General Courses, Foreign Languages, Mathematical and Computer Sciences, and Management). The university's product portfolio consists primarily of internal university management systems developed by its IT center, including a comprehensive university management system with modules for education, finance, accounting, payroll, property/warehouse, and library management, an e-learning platform (Vianna), student information system, feeding automation, and library services. All software developed by the IT center is open-source and offered to other higher education institutions with support contracts. The university does not offer commercial software products or AI-based services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Vianna Learning Management System: Electronic learning management system for students
• Sheikhbahaee University Research Journal

Products and services

• Undergraduate Degree Programs (12 programs) Twelve bachelor's degree programs across the five faculties (Engineering, General Courses, Foreign Languages, Mathematical Sciences and Computer Science, and Management), delivered on-campus at the Baharestan campus to Iranian students admitted via the national Sanjesh entrance exam. Covers groups such as Computer Engineering, IT Engineering, Urban Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Architecture, English Translation, English Teaching, English Language and Literature, Computer Science, Applied Mathematics, Statistics, Business Management, Industrial Management, Tourism Management, and Hotel Management, plus General Courses (Physics, Islamic Studies, General, Physical Education, Mathematics).
• Master's Degree Programs (16 programs) Sixteen master's degree programs across the university's faculties, providing advanced professional and research-oriented graduate education on-campus to Iranian bachelor's-degree holders. Programs cover specialized fields within engineering, sciences, management, and foreign languages.
• Doctoral Degree Program (English Language Teaching) One PhD program in English Language Teaching, the highest credential offered by Sheikh Bahaei University, supporting research and academic career preparation for Iranian master's-degree holders.
• Vianna E-Learning Management System Electronic learning management system (LMS) used by Sheikh Bahaei University students (vianna.shbu.ac.ir) and professors (viannamaster.shbu.ac.ir) for online course delivery, assignment management, and academic administration.
• Sheikhbahaee Library System Library management and information resource system providing students, faculty, and researchers access to academic publications and research materials held by Sheikh Bahaei University.
• Comprehensive University Management System (open-source, with support contracts) In-house open-source university management software (سامانه جامع دانشگاهی) used internally by Sheikh Bahaei University and licensed (with support contracts) to other Iranian higher-education institutions. Integrates education, finance, accounting, payroll, property/warehouse, and library subsystems into a single configurable information system.

Quantifiable outcome

• Started with 4 programs and 100 students in 1996, now offers 12 undergraduate, 16 graduate, and 1 doctoral program
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Insurance Company of IranminorOthersInsurance contract for student accident coverage throughout the academic year. Students receive compensation for accidents occurring on campus if reported within 2 days to the Cultural and Student Affairs department.
• Razi Clinic of BaharestanminorOthersHealthcare partnership providing free medical consultations and treatments for students. Injections are free; other paraclinical services require student payment. New students must establish medical files per announced schedule.
• University of IsfahancoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSheikh Bahaei University was established in 1996 by the effort of 10 professors from the University of Isfahan. The founding faculty members brought academic expertise and institutional knowledge from this major regional university.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• University of Isfahan: The flagship public university in Isfahan province and Sheikh Bahaei's founding institution (10 founding professors came from here). Directly comparable in disciplinary mix and regional labor-market relevance, but operates at much larger scale as a comprehensive public research institution.
• Shahid Beheshti University: A major public university in Tehran with strong engineering, sciences, and management faculties. Comparable to Sheikh Bahaei in program mix and quality positioning, but operates at significantly larger scale and with broader research output as a national public institution.
• Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz: A major public research university in southwestern Iran offering multi-disciplinary programs across engineering, sciences, and humanities. Comparable to Sheikh Bahaei in program breadth and regional positioning but operates as a public institution with government funding rather than tuition dependence.

Direct peers

• Imam Khomeini International University: A state-affiliated university in Qazvin offering multi-disciplinary programs including engineering, sciences, management, and foreign languages. Comparable to Sheikh Bahaei in academic structure, faculty composition, and program mix, though operating as a public institution.
• Payame Noor University: Iran's largest distance-learning university network with extensive provincial reach. Comparable to Sheikh Bahaei as a non-traditional higher education provider, and represents a structural competitor for students seeking flexible or affordable access to degree programs across Iran.
• Shahed University: A private university in Tehran offering multi-disciplinary programs under a similar non-governmental framework. Closely comparable to Sheikh Bahaei in legal structure, tuition-based funding, and Ministry of Science supervision.
• Allameh Tabataba'i University: A major Iranian university specializing in management, humanities, and social sciences with strong graduate programs. Comparable to Sheikh Bahaei's Management and Foreign Languages faculties in particular, and serves a similar student demographic seeking specialized professional programs.
• Islamic Azad University: Iran's largest private non-governmental university network with hundreds of branches nationwide offering undergraduate, master's, and doctoral programs. It is the closest direct competitor to Sheikh Bahaei in terms of mission (private higher education under the same legal framework), funding model (tuition-driven), and supervisory structure (Ministry of Science).

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Sheikh Bahaei University