World News
US sanctions halt TOEFL and GRE testing in Iran, disrupting academic plans
The suspension of a US Treasury license has forced testing administrator ETS to pause exams, leaving Iranian students facing costly travel abroad or missed application deadlines.
The short version
- ETS immediately suspended all TOEFL and GRE exam administrations inside Iran following the US Treasury Department's freeze of General License G.
- The move leaves Iranian university and graduate school applicants unable to take key admissions tests locally, following previous disruptions to IELTS testing.
- Students face missed scholarship and admission cycles or costly travel to neighboring countries like Turkey and Armenia, while organizers have launched a petition seeking an exemption for academic testing.
Key facts
- The US Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) froze General License G, which previously authorized certain educational exchanges and services in Iran.[Deutsche Welle]
- Test administrator ETS halted in-country administrations of the TOEFL and GRE exams immediately following the OFAC decision, though it noted Iranians can still test abroad.[Deutsche Welle]
- An Iranian testing institution confirmed that new registrations for TOEFL exams have ceased following the regulatory change.[Deutsche Welle]
- IELTS testing in Iran was previously disrupted due to sanctions-related payment and money transfer obstacles.[Deutsche Welle]
- Iranian test applicants have organized an online petition asking OFAC for a specific academic testing exemption and urging ETS to restore access.[Deutsche Welle]
What remains uncertain
- It is unknown whether the testing pause is temporary, if OFAC will consider exemptions, or when ETS might be legally able to resume testing in Iran.[Deutsche Welle]