A case study of The Free University of Iran, an Open University school with a distance learning system, is presented. Areas of discussion include characteristics of the country, the educational system of Iran, and the university. Specific topics include: the physical setting of Iran; the population; society and culture; economic development and educational planning; four stages in the development of Iran's education system; origins of the Free University of Iran; the entrance examination; courses; the teacher education program; the health sciences program; the rural development program; the technician training program; instructional media and methods; programmed printed texts; broadcast material; home experiment kits; text production; broadcast and audiovisual production; delivery systems; student admission and registration; the study year; student enrollment; staffing patterns and structure; local study centers; three types of student assessment; and organization and administration of the university. (SW)