US sanctions halt TOEFL and GRE tests in Iran, disrupting study plans

Iranian students hoping to study abroad are facing a new obstacle after TOEFL and GRE testing was suspended inside the country following changes to US sanctions regulations .

"My entire plan was built around taking this exam," a TOEFL candidate in Tehran told DW. She said she had spent months preparing applications for a PhD program, contacting professors and gathering documents despite internet disruptions and other challenges.

ETS, the US-based organization that administers both exams, announced it suspended testing in Iran after the US Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) froze General License G, which had allowed certain educational services to continue in Iran .

"Following OFAC's suspension of General License G, ETS has paused administration of the TOEFL and GRE tests in Iran effective immediately," the organization said in an official notice.

ETS added that Iranian nationals can still take the exams outside Iran and that it is exploring options to restore testing.

TOEFL is a US-based English-language proficiency test accepted by universities worldwide. The GRE, also administered by the same US organization, is a standardized test required by some graduate programs, particularly in the United States and Canada.

Since the Iran war began in late February, the US has increasingly expanded sanctions targeting Iranian trade and exports, contributing to broader disruptions throughout the Iranian economy .

An Iranian institution that administered TOEFL exams told DW that new registrations had stopped following the latest sanctions changes .