US sanctions put Iran’s students in peril
US sanctions have disrupted English proficiency testing in Iran, threatening the overseas study plans of thousands of Iranian students who can no longer sit for exams required by foreign universities.
Nikki, a 32-year-old Iranian student who had planned to study psychology in Italy, was due to take the TOEFL English proficiency test in Iran later this month. But the exam was suspended following the latest US sanctions, leaving her scrambling for an alternative.
“When I found out that the exam had been cancelled… I did not leave my room for several days because I was crying,” Nikki said.
“My plans were left hanging midway.”
The US-based Educational Testing Service (ETS), which administers TOEFL, said the exams were suspended after the US Treasury stopped issuing licences for them.
ETS said Iranian students could still travel abroad to take the test. However, that option is prohibitively expensive for many, particularly as Iran faces severe economic pressures.
Other English-language tests, including PTE and the increasingly popular Duolingo English Test, have also been suspended in Iran, according to Iranian media.
“We can no longer take any of the exams here,” Nikki said.
Costly alternatives
Taking an English proficiency test abroad is beyond the reach of many Iranian students.
Iran’s economy has been under pressure for years because of international sanctions, while the situation has been further compounded by more than six months of war with the United States.
The Iranian rial has fallen to record lows, reaching around 2.2 million to the US dollar in recent days. Year-on-year inflation stood at 89 percent for the Iranian month ending August 22, sharply reducing purchasing power.
“I am now trying to get a loan so that I can book the exam and go to a neighbouring country to take it,” Nikki said, adding that she was considering Armenia.
“The money I was supposed to spend on the health of my teeth now must go toward the exam and the trip,” she added.
Iranian students have been using Telegram groups to share information about available testing options and seek the cheapest and quickest ways to complete their university applications.
In one group with more than 24,000 members, students discussed travelling to Armenia, Iraq or Turkey, while calculating the additional costs involved.
One student ruled out taking the test in Istanbul, saying travelling there was “for the rich who can afford flights”.
Officials condemn suspension
Iranian officials have condemned the suspension, saying the restrictions showed that Washington was targeting Iranian citizens across different sectors.
Science Minister Hossein Simaei Saraf described the move as “‘Stone Age’ behaviour”, apparently referring to language used by US President Donald Trump when he threatened to send Iran back to the Stone Age.
For Leila, a 32-year-old Tehran resident, the cancellation was another setback after she secured admission to a graduate arts programme in Berlin this summer.
She had already deferred her university offer for a year because of uncertainty surrounding the war, which has continued despite an April ceasefire that halted its most intense phase.
“I have no plans to take the exam elsewhere; financially, it is not possible for me to take it outside Iran,” she told AFP, describing the situation among Iranian students hoping to study abroad as one of “sheer despair”.
With her plans now in disarray, Leila said she would probably pursue further studies inside Iran instead.
“I have learned to make several plans to survive tough situations,” she said.
“So I will probably go to university here.”
