For Bahar, a control engineer in Iran in her mid-20s, education abroad was a chance to build a future beyond the limitations and “difficulties” she faces at home. Her dream of enrolling in a data science master’s program in Canada and building her career internationally is now on hold after a new round of U.S. sanctions announced by President Donald Trump last month. Scheduled to take the TOEFL, an English-language test required for admission to many universities abroad, later this month, she was abruptly informed on August 25 that her exam had been canceled and would no longer be offered in Iran.
Bahar, who has been offered a pseudonym for security reasons, is one of thousands of Iranians who spent years preparing for entrance exams and international university admissions, but are now, more than six months into the United States' war in Iran, seeing their plans for the future reach new levels of uncertainty. Aspiring engineers, doctors, lawyers, and researchers are caught in the middle of a geopolitical standoff between Trump and Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, with educational opportunities that once seemed within reach suddenly put on hold as access to standardized tests like TOEFL and the LSAT has been suspended in the country. While TOEFL exams are still available abroad, accessing them often requires costly travel, turning a single test into a trip that can cost hundreds of dollars in flights, hotels and fees.
For many Iranian families, already grappling with sanctions, inflation and a weakened Iranian rial, the expense is out of reach. The path to the LSAT is even difficult for those with Iranian heritage living outside of Iran. Applicants with Iranian dual citizenship, or information linking them to Iran on their profiles, have reported having their accounts locked.
The Trump administration's measures are part of its broader pressure campaign against Tehran. Treasury spokesperson told Newsweek earlier this month in response to the new sanctions, “Unfortunately, the Iranian regime has chosen to prioritize its nuclear ambitions over the well-being of its people.” The statement continued, “The regime cannot continue to attack U.S. interests and benefit from access to the United States, whether financially, academically, or culturally. The biggest threat to the Iranian people remains the regime itself.” The U.S. launched coordinated attacks with Israel on Iran on February 28, subsequently killing Ayatollah Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
In the months following, hostilities have continued, with the U.S. and Iran trading missile fire and the Strait of Hormuz emerging as a key flashpoint in the conflict. General License G, which is typically exempt from U.S. sanctions regulations, permits a range of academic exchanges and educational services, including processing university applications, tuition, and administering entrance exams for people in Iran who are ordinarily residents. The freeze was announced on August 24, with a wind-down period until September 8.
The indefinite suspension closes pathways that thousands of Iranian students have relied on to access universities abroad, including standardized tests like TOEFL and Duolingo English exams within the country. A representative of Educational Testing Service (ETS), the parent company of the GRE and TOEFL, told Newsweek that following the Treasury Department’s General License G suspension, “ETS has paused administration of the TOEFL and GRE tests within Iran effective immediately. This action is required to comply with U.S. sanctions law.
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