Background: Identifying students’ ethical expectations of higher education will help higher education administrators to meet students’ expectations and nurture their interest and academic motivation, which helps them to advance their academic and scientific career and ultimately leads to community development. The goal of the present research is to identify the ethical expectations of Iranian students of higher education.
Method: This study is a qualitative research that was conducted using grounded theory approach. The population under study included postgraduate students, and sample was saturated after 20 interviews. For sample selection, non-randomized purposive sampling method was used. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews. Data analysis has been done through open coding, axial coding and selective coding.
Results: After collecting and analyzing the data, key phrases of interviews were extracted and by open coding 128 primary components were identified and categorized in 11 dimensions including: quality of life improvement, observance of students' dignity, special place students, attention to the differences in academic level of students, scientific support of students, preference of elite students for receiving services, respecting students, desirable character and appropriate function of professors, empathy and collaboration between students and university, organizational commitment, effective management, and three themes of focus on growth and self-efficacy, emphasis on the importance of the student's place and role, and focusing on scientific and educational services.
Conclusion: The results of the research show that students have diverse ethical expectations of higher education, which requires planning and accurate targeting.