The Role of Social Factors in Students’ Entry to Open and Distance Universities of Iran

Background: Higher education has a great influence on the growth and development of societies. Several social factors depend on public demand for higher education. Objectives: The purpose of this research is to identify the most important social factors affecting the registration of students at Payam-e-Noor University (PNU). Methods: Two methods were used in order to achieve the research goal. In the first part, an analytical documentary method was used to extract the indicators. In the second part, the least squares regression model, was used for data Undergraduate students were studied at PNU in 2001 - 2014. Results: The results of the research showed that the total population of the country (0.146; P = 0.048) and the high education budget (0.294, P = 0.075) had a positive and significant effect on enrollment at PNU. Total state budget (-0.016, P = 0.582) and the number of secondary school students (-4.241, P = 0.329) had a negative impact on student entrance to PNU. Conclusions: Total state population and higher education budget had a considerable impact on the student population in PNU.