In 1982, the university began operations by seizing the "Harvard" institute, renaming it "Imam Sadiq", changing its board of trustees and professors, its curriculum and educational structure, and transferring its ownership to Hossein-Ali Montazeri.

[14] After the revolution, the assets and factories of individuals like Habib Ladjevardi, Mohammad Taghi Barkhordar, and some other members of the board of trustees were confiscated by the revolutionaries, and the "Harvard" institute was seized.

Its name was changed to "Imam Sadiq," and its management was handed over to Hossein-Ali Montazeri, who appointed Mohammad-Reza Mahdavi Kani as his representative there.

[16] On October 9, 2018, by decree of the board of trustees headed by Sadegh Larijani, Hossein-Ali Saadi, a member of the Assembly of Experts, was appointed as the president of Imam Sadiq University for a three-year term.

This selection stage, in addition to the face-to-face interview, includes field research of the candidate's place of residence and examination of their political, cultural, and social records.

[2] Imam Sadiq University is a private university that finances itself through investments from the powerful religious foundation Astan Quds Razavi,[2] the Imam Sadiq Community Holding, the textile factories of the community, the confiscated pharmaceutical factory of Loghman, Milad-e Nour shopping centre in Tehran, government aids, and a number of merchants in Tehran.

[21][22] In discussing the university's approach to student discipline and moral education, an interview with Mostafa Mirlouhi sheds light on the stance of Mohammad Reza Mahdavi Kani, one of the institution's influential figures.

Mirlouhi recounts Kani's opposition to students commuting from Tehran, emphasizing the importance of a controlled environment for maintaining the desired educational and moral standards.

According to Mirlouhi, Kani likened the development of a student's character to the careful cultivation of a flower, requiring support and protection against potentially corrupting influences encountered outside the university's confines.

Initially, these graduates would establish a presence within the broadcasting corporation's news department, eventually progressing to higher roles involved in executive cultural policy-making.

[24] The most notable among them was Saeed Jalili, an alumnus, who was named the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council and served as Ahmadinejad’s principal negotiator on nuclear issues.

[2] Upon Hassan Rouhani's ascension to the presidency in 2013, his government prioritized the recruitment of alumni from international universities and technocrats without explicit ideological affiliations.

[2] Raisi's victory in the 2021 presidential election, attributed to his uncontested candidacy due to the clerical establishment's sidelining of significant rivals, has led him to emphasize the selection of "revolutionary" personnel for his administration.

This approach has effectively allowed Imam Sadiq University to play a significant role in verifying such revolutionary credentials for cabinet positions.

Within Raisi's team, two young ministers, Ehsan Khandouzi of finance and economic affairs, and Hojjatollah Abdolmaleki of cooperatives, labor, and social welfare, hail from Imam Sadiq University.

Raisi also appointed Gholam Hossein Esmaili, an ally and Imam Sadiq alumnus, as his chief of staff, alongside Mohammad Hosseini, a former culture minister under Ahmadinejad and now vice president for parliamentary affairs.