Persian Gulf University

What Persian Gulf University does

Persian Gulf University (دانشگاه خلیج فارس) is a public, state-funded university established in 1974 and headquartered in Bushehr, Iran, operating under the Iranian Ministry of Science, Research and Technology with oversight from a Board of Trustees. The institution delivers 108+ undergraduate, master's, and doctoral programs across engineering, humanities, and management to 20,000+ active students, supported by 250 full-time faculty members and a stated alumni base of 20,000+. Its research and academic portfolio is anchored by engineering disciplines tied to the regional energy economy — notably oil, gas, and petrochemicals — and operationalized through a Central Laboratory and dedicated research institutes focused on the Persian Gulf region. Student intake flows predominantly through Iran's national Konkour entrance examination, with PGU acting as a regional hub hosting four exam centers across Bushehr province. International recruitment is processed through a dedicated Office of International Affairs (intl.pgu.ac.ir) and supported by formal recognitions from the Iraqi Ministry of Higher Education and the Qatar National Research Fund.

The university's technology stack is built around an integrated digital-services ecosystem: a SADA ERP system for administration, finance, and student affairs; a Learning Management System for course delivery; and a suite of self-service portals covering meals, library, research information, cultural activities, and internet account provisioning. It runs a VPN infrastructure for faculty, staff, and students (including the PGU Connection Android application launched to work around newer Android L2TP deprecations) and provides institutional email systems (Mehr for students, mail.pgu.ac.ir for faculty). An Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center, branded as NexLevel / Karafarini, incubates student technology teams and has commercially released consumer mobile apps including Privio (a privacy and permissions awareness app distributed on Cafe Bazaar) and Laymotin (a habit-building and routine management app).

Revenue is generated from three primary streams: (1) government allocations from the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology, which finance core operations and research; (2) tuition and educational fees from domestic and international students; and (3) a smaller professional-services stream from short-form paid training courses such as the 60-hour Data Science program (8,000,000 Tomans for Iranian participants / 300 USD for international participants), delivered in partnership with EDvantage Company. Strategic positioning is reinforced by international partnerships and joint-degree structures with North East Petroleum University (China), IPVC Portugal, the University of Southern Denmark, Qatar University, Sapienza University of Rome, and Universidad De Cordoba under the EU Erasmus+ program, alongside recurring appearances in Times Higher Education and ISC rankings.

Name

Persian Gulf University

Legal name

Persian Gulf University

Website

https://pgu.ac.ir

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Persian Gulf University is a public university in Bushehr, Iran, founded in 1974, offering 108+ undergraduate and graduate programs to 20,000+ students with strong emphasis on oil and gas engineering and active international research partnerships across Asia and Europe.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Technical Universities with Energy, Materials & Sustainability Focus (EDAHAEAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

International & Global Research Universities (Multi-Campus/International Footprint) (EDAHABAI), Online Divisions of Traditional Universities (Hybrid/Extension) (EDAHALAB)

Keywords

• Higher education services
• Academic research programs
• University admissions
• Professional training courses
• Student digital services

Headquarters

HQ city

Bushehr (بوشهر)

HQ country

Iran

HQ region

Middle East

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Educational Fees: Revenue from domestic and international student tuition, course fees, and educational services
2. Government Funding: Core operational and research funding from Iranian Ministry of Science, Research and Technology
3. Training Programs: Professional development courses such as Data Science programs offered for external participants

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Persian Gulf University provides higher education services through 108+ undergraduate, master's, and doctoral academic programs across engineering, humanities, and management disciplines, supported by 250 full-time faculty members and research institutes focused on oil, gas, petrochemical, and Persian Gulf regional studies. The university operates a digital ecosystem including ERP, LMS, VPN, email, and self-service portals for students, faculty, and staff, and runs an Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center (NexLevel) that develops and releases commercial mobile applications.

Product overview

Persian Gulf University operates a comprehensive digital services ecosystem comprising both administrative and academic technology platforms. The core infrastructure includes the SADA ERP system for administrative automation and financial management, a Learning Management System (LMS) for academic delivery, and multiple self-service portals for student welfare (meal plans, housing), internet account management, and research information management. Student-facing mobile applications include Privio (a privacy and permissions awareness app), Laymotin (a habit-building and routine management app), and PGU Connection (an Android VPN app for secure campus network access). The university also provides email services for both students (Mehr) and faculty, a help desk system, and a cultural affairs management system. The Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center (Karafarani) incubates technology teams through its NexLevel program, producing commercially released applications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• NexLevel: Entrepreneurship program run by the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation
• Privio
• Limoutine
• PGU Connection

Products and services

• Undergraduate Degree Programs Undergraduate academic programs across engineering, humanities, and management disciplines for Iranian and international students admitted through national entrance exams.
• Graduate Degree Programs (Master's and Doctoral) Master's and doctoral degree programs in engineering, humanities, and management for domestic and international students, with 9,000 test takers participating in the national master's entrance exam in Bushehr province.
• Professional Training Programs (Data Science Course)

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• North East Petroleum University (China)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 July 2022MoU signed between presidents of both universities for 5-year cooperation including establishment of joint research lab for unconventional energy resources, academic exchanges, joint supervision of theses, and joint organization of scientific events. NEPU has 27,000 students and 1,400 faculty members.
• University of Southern DenmarkmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 June 2022Joint dual certificate post-doc research on digitally enabled asset maintenance and management for smart grids using digital twin technology and machine learning. Duration 1-2 years.
• Polytechnic Institute of Viana do Castelo (IPVC), PortugalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 July 2020MoU for joint dual certificate post-doc programs in healthcare intelligence, asset positioning systems, and electrical engineering. IPVC has 6 campuses and 13 faculties with strong industry connections. Planned joint dual degree master program in Electrical Engineering.
• Qatar UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint post-doc program on application of machine learning in developing membrane technologies. Remote or partially remote, 1-2 years duration.
• Sapienza University of Rome, ItalymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint post-doc program on effect of physical activity on mental health of patients with Alzheimer. 1 year duration with potential extension, certificates issued by both institutions.
• Universidad De Cordoba (UCO), SpaincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerErasmus+ Mobility program for student and staff exchanges. Funded by EU (850 EUR/month plus 820 EUR travel support). Renewed agreement for 2021-2023.
• EDvantage CompanyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerTraining partnership for short-term and long-term courses in machine learning and data science in oil and gas sectors.
• Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF)majorOthersPGU added to QNRF's list of recognized universities, enabling PGU researchers to participate in joint proposals with Qatari institutions.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• University of Southern Denmark: European research university with active joint dual-certificate post-doc program with PGU on digital twins and smart grids. Comparable as an international academic partner with overlapping digital energy research themes.

Regional players

• North East Petroleum University: Chinese petroleum-focused university with 27,000+ students and a 5-year MoU with PGU for joint research on unconventional energy. Comparable as a foreign public university with a strong oil-and-gas research mandate.
• Bushehr University of Technology: Smaller technical university also located in Bushehr Province, offering overlapping engineering programs. Directly competes in the same local catchment for students and faculty in the same labor market.

Direct peers

• Shiraz University: Major public research university in southern Iran with strong engineering and science programs. PGU directly competes with Shiraz for southern Iranian students and shares a similar regional-anchor positioning.
• Sharif University of Technology: Iran's premier engineering and technology university, also a public institution under the Ministry of Science. Comparable as a higher-education and research peer competing for the same faculty, students, and research grants in Iran, with strong engineering focus.
• Shiraz University of Technology: Public technology university in Fars Province with engineering and applied research focus. Comparable as a peer public university in southern Iran competing for the same student pool and government research funds.
• Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz: Public university in Ahvaz (Khuzestan) with strong oil-and-gas engineering programs tied to the petroleum industry. Directly comparable as a regional public university with an energy-sector research focus in southern Iran.
• Iran University of Science and Technology: Public technology-focused university in Tehran with strong engineering and applied research output. Comparable as a state engineering university competing for similar research grants and national university rankings.

Broad incumbents

• Qatar University: Public research university in Qatar with whom PGU runs a joint post-doc program on machine learning and membrane technologies. Comparable as a regional Gulf-state public university with strong government funding and energy research.
• University of Tehran: Iran's oldest and largest public research university with 50,000+ students across a comprehensive portfolio. Comparable as the dominant higher-education institution in Iran competing for the same top students and faculty, with much broader disciplinary scope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/pgu_karafarini

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Persian Gulf University