Trump Sanctions Cancel TOEFL And GRE Exams For Iranians, Duolingo Suspends Testing

Tests halted by sanctions

The United States’ latest sanctions on Iran have forced the cancellation of English proficiency and graduate exams that Iranians rely on to qualify for studying abroad, with President Trump’s measures cutting off access to tests including TOEFL and GRE.

The New York Times reported that the Educational Testing Service, which runs the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), canceled exams, and that the Duolingo English Test also suspended testing for anyone who is Iranian and cannot register as the citizen of another country.

Shahrzad, a 28-year-old notified this week of her TOEFL cancellation, told The New York Times, “I feel like the right to strive for a better life — even the right to dream of one — has been taken away from me,” describing a sense of despair after preparing for TOEFL for 43 nights with her husband.

The BBC said the new wave of sanctions and the U.S. Treasury Department’s restrictions announced on August 24 (Shahrivar 2) suspended General License J, which had opened the door to providing certain educational services to Iranians and facilitating certain university exchanges between Iran and the United States.

Reporting for this sectionNew York TimesBBC

ETS and Duolingo respond

Deutsche Welle reported that ETS said that after the U.S. Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) suspended the General License G, it was compelled to suspend its services in Iran for TOEFL and GRE.

Deutsche Welle also said ETS told it that “ETS announced that after OFAC’s suspension of the General License G, it has immediately suspended administering TOEFL and GRE exams in Iran,” while adding that Iranian citizens can still sit for the exams outside Iran where testing continues.

Al Jazeera reported that ETS paused administration of the tests in Iran and canceled previously booked test appointments, and that an ETS spokesperson said, “This step reflects our full compliance with US sanctions law,” while stating that Iranian nationals can test outside of Iran.

Al Jazeera further reported that Duolingo decided to ban English language tests for users holding only an Iranian ID, and Duolingo said it was required to stop offering the Duolingo English Test to people using Iranian government-issued identification beginning September 1.

Reporting for this sectionDWAl Jazeera

Education access and uncertainty

The BBC described how OFAC suspended General License J on August 24, and said lawyer and sanctions expert Blake Halpern warned that sweeping sanctions risks extending beyond the regime and affecting ordinary people, a concern that the BBC tied to students and prospective students. Deutsche Welle said the uncertainty for Iranian test-takers includes that “there is no specific date for the return of the tests,” and that universities and scholarship programs typically have fixed deadlines that applicants cannot wait to meet.

Al Jazeera reported that a very short wind-down period was set for existing activities until September 8, after which activities would require specific OFAC authorisation, and that the education-related general licences were indefinitely suspended. In parallel, Al Jazeera reported that Duolingo’s restriction applies even to people outside Iran who use Iranian government-issued identification, with Duolingo saying it would stop offering the Duolingo English Test to people testing in Iran or using Iranian government-issued identification beginning September 1.

Reporting for this sectionDWAl Jazeera