🔶 TOEFL halted in Iran; sanctions reach a language test

The administration of TOEFL and GRE exams in Iran has been halted; a decision directly linked to a recent change in the U.S. sanctions framework against Iran. "ETS" (the ETS Institute), the organizer of these tests, says that after the suspension of "General License G" (G) by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), it has been forced to stop its services in Iran.

At the same time, reports have also been published about Iranian applicants’ access to the Duolingo language test being limited; a test that in recent years has been an option for many candidates seeking to study abroad that is cheaper, faster, and simpler than traditional exams.

For Iranian applicants, this halt is not just an administrative change. Many have been planning for the language test for months, paying for classes and educational materials, corresponding with universities, and their deadlines for submitting documents or scholarship requests are close. Now, the very test that was meant to be part of the admissions process has turned into a new obstacle.