FUM is named after Abul-Qâsem Ferdowsi Tusi,[3] who is considered to be the national epic poet of Greater Iran.

The mission of the Ferdowsi University of Mashhad is to educate the citizens and citizen-leaders of society based on divine principles of Islam and scientifically qualified centers of excellence.

Before the 1979 Iranian revolution, the curriculum and research agenda at Ferdowsi were designed with the help of Georgetown University.

Moreover, the Department of Persian Language and Literature is designated by the Iranian Ministry of Science, Research and Technology, as a Center of Excellence in Ferdowsi Studies.

Of these, the Department of Geology has been named as a Center of Excellence in Fossilology by the Iranian Ministry of Sciences, Research and Technology.

Both the Departments of Mathematics and Statistics were named "Centers of Excellence" by the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology in 2000.

Established in 1973, the FUM School of Education and Psychology is home to 30 faculty members and about 1300 students.

According to Iranwatch (Tracking Iran's Unconventional Weapon Capabilities) in 2011, research on solid propellant combustion (for rocket motor chamber), air-to-air missile fuse electronics, robust controller design for a missile's yaw-channel, coastal missile defense systems as well as remotely piloted vehicle's guidance, navigation, and control computer system is being done in the university.

The following groups are active: SARI institute was founded in October 2010 (Mehr 1389), for research in the field of Renewable energy.

The admission rate range is 40–50%, making this Iranian higher education organization an averagely selective institution.

To attract top students, the Ferdowsi University of Mashhad has tried to use the scholarships so that after the increasing decline in admission rate in sciences (and especially physics),[19][20] which was considered a serious threat to the university, additional scholarships are to be dedicated to all disciplines.

[23] The Ferdowsi University of Mashhad is regarded as the first institution in attracting foreign students, mainly from Afghanistan, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Bahrain, Central Asian republics,[9] after the efforts made during the presidency of Ahmadinejad who declared Mashhad as "Iran's spiritual capital".

[26] According to a deputy president of Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, most of the foreign students studying in Iran are from Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, Pakistan, and Turkey.

According to Iran's Minister of Science, Research, and Technology (in a speech at a graduation ceremony of a number of foreign students of Ferdowsi University of Mashhad), many efforts were underway to attract as many as 25,000 by 2015 during the presidency of Ahmadinejad: "The improvement of the quality of universities has paved the way for the enrollment of foreign students.

"[28] FUM publishes 48 peer-reviewed scientific journals covering almost all fields of sciences and humanities.

[38][39] Some Iranian educational institutions such as Ferdowsi University of Mashhad have also been building their presence in Afghanistan.

As Iranian officials announced in February 2009, the university opened a campus in Herat (named after a Persian poet who resided in Herat during the eleventh century)—the efforts that allow Iran to engage directly with Afghanistan's population and develop close ties with religious and ethnic minorities.

[40] In 2011, Ferdowsi University's Department of Engineering in Mashhad said it would segregate students by gender in nearly 50 courses.

[43] The emergence of Mahmud Ahmadinejad in the 2005 presidential election brought a new force to Iran's political power, namely, the Professor's Basij Organization (PBO).