US sanctions freeze TOEFL exams in Iran, crushing dreams of studying abroad
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "US sanctions freeze TOEFL exams in Iran, crushing dreams of studying abroad")
US sanctions freeze TOEFL exams in Iran, crushing dreams of studying abroad Photograph: (Credit: Pexels/Representative image)
Sweeping US sanctions have suspended essential English proficiency exams like TOEFL in Iran, leaving students facing crippling travel costs or lost academic opportunities. Learn how expanding restrictions are impacting young Iranians hoping to study abroad.
The newly imposed US sanctions are disrupting the ambitions of Iranian students seeking to study abroad by suspending international English proficiency exams within Iran. The Educational Testing Service (ETS), the US-based organisation administering the TOEFL exam, confirmed the suspension after the US Treasury halted the necessary licenses. According to Iranian media, alternative options like the Pearson Test of English and Duolingo online tests have also been suspended. While ETS noted on its website that Iranian students can still take tests in neighbouring countries, this alternative remains financially out of reach for many.
The testing freeze comes as part of Washington's “economic asphyxiation” strategy following broader geopolitical conflicts. Decades of sanctions, paired with recent economic volatility, have caused the Iranian rial to plunge to record lows around 2.2 million to the US dollar while annual inflation reached 89 per cent in late August.
As reported by news agency AFP, students are left grappling with heavy financial and emotional strains Nikki, a 32-year-old pastry shop worker from Lahijan aiming to study psychology in Italy, recounted her dismay upon learning her TOEFL test was canceled. "When I found out that the exam had been cancelled... I did not leave my room for several days because I was crying.” She is currently seeking a loan to travel to Armenia for the test.
Leila, a 32-year-old Tehran resident who deferred a graduate arts program in Berlin, expressed "sheer despair" over the situation. "I have no plans to take the exam elsewhere; financially, I can't take it outside Iran, she noted that she now plans to pursue her studies domestically instead.
Trending Stories
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
On social media platforms like Telegram, thousands of students are calculating travel costs to destinations such as Armenia, Iraq, or Turkey, though many note that options like Istanbul are reserved "for the rich who can afford flights."
Iranian officials strongly criticised the sanctions. According to AFP, Science Minister Hossein Simaei Saraf condemned the restrictions as "'Stone Age' behaviour," arguing that the move demonstrates Washington's intent to target "every Iranian citizen in every field."
