The present research intends to identify and analyze the strategic planning process at Hakim Sabzevari University and to explore the barriers that inhibit this process. Therefore, in this study, a mixed research method has been used. In the qualitative section, the method of thematic analysis was used by interviewing 19 employees and informants. Friedman Test and Interpretative Structural Modeling have been used to rank the strategic planning barriers and design a model to represent these factors. Since the ISM (Interpretive Structural Modeling) approach is based on expert opinion, 32 expert opinions in the field of the University were elicited. According to the obtained model, the most significant factor which constituted the cornerstone of the model was “managerial instability”. The results of this research led to the ranking of the barriers of the academic strategic planning process and the design of a model representing these factors. The findings also showed that the lack of development strategy, the lack of culture and planning thinking and the lack of deployment of strategic planning are the most important barriers for the academic strategic planning process respectively. Moreover, the heterogeneity of financial status and administrative demands was ranked at the end.