Using observation and a semi-structured interview technique, this study aimed at finding the English learning problems of ESP students in engineering departments of Islamic Azad universities across Mazandaran province from the perspectives of 64 ESP students and 32 ESP teachers in 33 classes who were selected through convenience sampling method. The procedure used for the observation was a narrative summary which included a comprehensive view of the recorded main events in the summary. The results of the study indicated that there are different types of problems in ESP classes which are related to six main categories: Academic setting, ESP teachers, ESP students, ESP materials, ESP teaching methods, and ESP testing methods. The findings of this research are hoped to provide clear insights for ESP instructors around the problems of ESP programs and motivate material developers and Azad University educational headquarters to find a good way to eliminate these problems and improve the quality of ESP courses for engineering students. Manuscript profile