Financial Tribune - University students-to-be have just selected their major of choice after sitting for the so-called Concours, the nationwide entrance exam, last month.

The upcoming new academic year in Iran starts Sept. 23.

Concours, originally a French word for contest or competition, in Iran refers to a standardized test used as a yardstick to gain admission to higher education. The academic future of students is determined based on their score in the exam.

At least 10% of all applicants who become eligible for applying for higher education institutions use consultancy services for choosing their future majors.

Counseling packages can cost between 6 million rials ($50) and 20 million rials ($170).

Consider the 83,000 applicants paying an average of 13 million rials ($110) for counseling and the market size exceeds 1,079 billion rials ($9 million). This turnover only pertains to one week, as applicants have no more than seven days to select their future majors.