Universities and higher education institutions (HEIs) aim to provide the maximum support for the community. Hence, to obtain the optimum results, the educational policies must be in alignment with the societies' needs and prerequisites. The present research investigated the undergraduates' expectations of studying at university and the fulfillment of those expectations prior and after being accepted into the university. 600 first-year undergraduates were selected based on cluster sampling from 2783 first-year undergraduates at Allameh Tabataba'i University, Iran. The data were gathered through deep interviews and cross-sectional survey. We emphasize that the centralized educational system in Iran works as a speed bump to obtain the goals and ambitions as portrayed in the HEIs' mottos. The findings remind the educational policy-makers that success does not happen in a vacuum; rather, it is a collaborative joint practice among all members of the HE sector. The novelty of the research is its applicability to those centralized systems of policy-making worldwide specifically with engagement of students which adds to the literature and can urge the authorities of the HE sector to modify their earlier policies in the short run; and work toward decentralized system of educational leadership as the main panacea in the long run.