ETS suspends TOEFL and GRE exams in Iran after US license halt

August 31, 2026 at 06:22 PM2 min

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The US-based Educational Testing Service has suspended TOEFL and GRE exams in Iran effective immediately, citing the US Treasury's suspension of General License G. The move cuts off a key pathway to foreign study for thousands of Iranian students. The suspension follows a broader package of US sanctions announced on August 24.

Key Facts

ETS paused TOEFL and GRE administration in Iran effective immediately, citing OFAC's suspension of General License G.
The US Treasury announced the sanctions package on August 24, 2026, under what Secretary Scott Bessent called an 'economic onslaught' against Iran.
Appointment calendars for TOEFL in Iran shrank within a day to two test centers near Tehran offering slots through September 5, then disappeared entirely.
Duolingo said days earlier that its English test was unavailable in Iran and to users with Iranian identification documents.
A Change.org petition calls on OFAC and ETS to restore access, noting students 'have spent months preparing, paid exam fees, and built their application timelines around scheduled test dates.'

Sanctions Expansion

The suspension is part of a sweeping package of new sanctions the administration of US President Donald Trump rolled out on August 24. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called the measures an 'economic onslaught' against Iran's financial networks worldwide. Alongside General License G, OFAC also indefinitely suspended General License F, which had permitted sports-related exchanges between the United States and Iran. A short wind-down period for existing activities runs through September 8, after which any such activity will require a specific OFAC authorization.

Impact on Students

For test-takers, the practical effect was abrupt: appointment calendars for the TOEFL in Iran, which had been bookable as far out as January, shrank within a day to just two test centers near Tehran offering slots through September 5, before disappearing entirely. The suspension follows a similar move by Duolingo, which said days earlier that its English test was unavailable in Iran and to users with Iranian identification documents. IELTS, administered by the British Council and IDP Education, has been effectively unavailable inside Iran since January. Many responses on social media centered on the human cost to students who had no say in the geopolitics driving the decision.

Reactions and Petition

One Iranian user wrote that 'an unlucky language learner spent two years working hard, and now it's all gone up in smoke overnight.' A new petition launched on Change.org calls on OFAC and ETS to restore access, noting students 'have spent months preparing, paid exam fees, and built their application timelines around scheduled test dates' through no fault of their own. The petition said, 'Educational assessment should remain accessible to students seeking legitimate academic opportunities.' Others used the moment to needle those insisting US sanctions do not target ordinary Iranians.