Adult Literacy Programs
In addition to formal education, women in Iran may enroll in literacy programs. These programs target women, offering basic training in simple math, reading, and writing. In the 1990s, women composed over two-thirds of enrollees in these programs. This may have contributed to the steep rise in female literacy rates in Iran in the 1990s, which increased twenty-percent from 1987 to 1997.
Religious Schools
Religious schools have also become an educational option for Iranian women, and the rise in the institution of "female seminaries" to 280 as of 2010 shows their increasing use as an academic pursuit. The popularity stems from the infusion of religion into Iran post-revolution, when Ayatollah Khomeini called for the establishment of Jami'at al-Zahra in 1984, the first female seminary in Iran. The institution, a consolidation of smaller religious schools, offers enrollees the chance to earn anything from high school diplomas to doctoral degrees. Women must apply to enroll in the institutions, where only 7,000 women were accepted from a field of over 25,000 applicants in the 2010 academic year.
Seminaries have served as an alternative to higher education when female applicants are denied admission, either as a result of academic success or the quota system employed by public universities.
Other schooling
Newly married Iranian women must attend government-mandated family planning classes. Information on health and birth control use is included in these programs.