Factors Influencing Higher Education Policies with an Approach to Article 44 of the Constitution

Today and in most countries، governments are not able to provide universities with needed fund and facilities as a result of the growing number of universities and their students. Therefore، to achieve their goals، universities look for different ways of funding their programs without diverting from their main path of producing science and knowledge. Privatization is، thus، regarded as a policy for development of the higher education and ensuring financial independence of universities which can have positive and negative effects. The goal of this study is to identify the most important consequences of privatization of state-run universities in Iran. Following a theoretical discussion، two basic questions are posed and answered: 1) What are the most important consequences of the privatization of the higher education in Iran? and 2) What can be done to eliminate or reduce negative impacts of privatization? Research findings show that experts consider higher economic pressure on lower classes and emergence of class-oriented higher education in favor of the upper classes، increased independence of universities and higher flexibility of their managements، as well as promotion of the scientific status of the higher education are the most important consequences of privatization in this sector.