The realization of fourth-generation universities in Iran has evolved beyond a merely formal aspiration into an unavoidable governance necessity, emphasizing a commitment to social responsibility in addressing societal problems and generating public good. This paradigmatic shift, through a critical reassessment of traditional academic performance and institutional passivity toward the protection of public rights, necessitates a reconsideration of existing practices to restore the university’s societal authority and prevent the erosion of its intrinsic identity. Adopting a qualitative approach, the present study seeks to examine and explain the barriers facing the establishment of fourth-generation university models within Iran’s higher education ecosystem. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 24 higher education experts, selected via purposive sampling until theoretical saturation was reached, and were analyzed using thematic analysis. The trustworthiness of the findings has been ensured through rigorous adherence to Lincoln and Guba’s (1985) four evaluative criteria in the qualitative analysis of expert perspectives. The data analysis led to the identification of 164 codes, 25 sub-themes, and 8 main themes, reflecting a wide spectrum of barriers hindering the realization of fourth-generation universities in Iran. The main themes identified include: centralized governance and limited institutional autonomy; inefficiencies in mission orientation and accountability; the dominance of quantitative and publication-driven performance evaluation systems; institutional inertia and weak capacity for transformation; the weakening of professional ethics and social responsibility; ecosystem isolation and weak linkages between universities, industry, and society; limited capacity for value creation and knowledge commercialization; and weak networking and scientific diplomacy.