Tehran University of Medical Sciences Iranian Journal of Public Health 2251-6085 53 1 2023 12 31 48 58 EN Kamyar Ghani Department of Neuroscience and Addiction Studies, School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Jaleh Gholami Iranian National Center for Addiction Studies, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Ghazal Mousavian 1. Iranian National Center for Addiction Studies, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran 2. HIV/STI Surveillance Research Center, and WHO Collaborating Center for HIV Surveillance (HIVHUB), Kerman, Iran Masoumeh Amin-Esmaeili 1. Iranian National Center for Addiction Studies, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran 2. Department of Mental Health, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA Hassan Rafiey Social Welfare Management Research Center, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran Nasim Vosoughi 1. Iranian National Center for Addiction Studies, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran 2. Department of Applied Cell Sciences, School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran 3. Research Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Sciences, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Behrang Shadloo Iranian National Center for Addiction Studies, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Afarin Rahimi-Movaghar Iranian National Center for Addiction Studies, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran 2023 03 26 2023 06 15 Background: The extent of illicit drug use among university students necessitates effective preventive programs. To identify and assess the effectiveness of university-based interventions in preventing or reducing illicit drug use. Methods: The MEDLINE (PubMed), SCOPUS, ISI (Web of Science), and other sources were searched according to the Cochrane Collaboration method. RCTs, CRTs and non- RCTs evaluating university-based interventions designed to prevent illicit drug use were reviewed. Data were extracted independently by two reviewers. The quality of the publications was assessed. Interventions were classified by type, provider, duration, and theoretical background. Results: Of 6652 papers, 11 studies met the eligibility criteria that were conducted between 1987 and 2020. The effectiveness of interventions was different. Substantial heterogeneity among the studies prevented the integration of results for estimating summaries. Conclusion: Despite the importance of the subject, there is a paucity of studies about specific educational programs for illicit drug use, indicating the necessity of further research in other countries.   https://ijph.tums.ac.ir/index.php/ijph/article/view/31566 https://ijph.tums.ac.ir/index.php/ijph/article/download/31566/8130