What it means
واحد درسی (vâhed-e darsi) means “academic credit unit,” the standard measure used by Iranian universities to quantify how much coursework a student carries. Both components come from Arabic: “vâhed” (واحد) descends from Arabic wāḥid (one, unit), and “darsi” is the adjectival form of Arabic dars (lesson). A bachelor’s degree in Iran typically requires completing 130 to 140 vahede darsi across eight semesters. A close related term is “credits” in the Western sense, but in everyday Iranian student conversation the word vahede darsi is used, never a translation.
How to use it
- این ترم هجده واحد برداشتم. (in tarm hejdah vâhed bardâshtam.) “I took eighteen credit units this semester.”
- برای فارغالتحصیلی چند واحد کم دارم؟ (barâye fâregh-ol-tahsili chand vâhed kam dâram?) “How many credit units am I short for graduation?”
- استاد، این درس چند واحده؟ (ostâd, in dars chand vâhede?) “Professor, how many credit units is this course?”
- واحدهای اختیاری رو تا آخر بذار. (vâhedhâye ekhtiyâri ro tâ âkhar bezâr.) “Leave your elective credit units until the end.”
Cultural note
Iranian universities follow a credit-hour system administered by the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology. Students typically register for 12 to 20 vahede darsi per semester, and exceeding the cap requires special permission tied to a high GPA. Failing a course means losing those vahede darsi and having to repeat it, which extends graduation timelines. The phrase “vâhed bardâshtan” (taking units) is the natural verb students use when registering for courses.