TOEFL and GRE testing suspended in Iran: what applicants should do

ETS says it has suspended TOEFL and GRE testing services in Iran. The change follows the suspension of General License G by the US Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control, known as OFAC.

The impact is not limited to test centers located inside Iran. Registration, payment, at-home testing, and new score-report requests may also be affected for people whose ordinary residence is in Iran.

What happened to TOEFL and GRE testing in Iran?

According to the official ETS notice, the organization stopped administering TOEFL and GRE tests in Iran to comply with US sanctions regulations.

OFAC placed General License G in suspended status on August 24, 2026. The license had previously covered certain academic exchanges and education-related services involving Iran.

What happens to appointments already booked in Iran?

ETS says affected TOEFL and GRE appointments in Iran through September 8, 2026 were canceled and cannot be rescheduled as the same appointments.

Where a test fee was paid directly through an ETS account, ETS says it will issue a full refund to the original payment method. People who registered with a voucher should wait for direct instructions from ETS about the options available to them.

Can Iranian citizens take a test in another country?

Citizenship and ordinary residence are treated differently in the current guidance. Iranian citizenship alone does not prevent someone who lives outside Iran from taking TOEFL or GRE abroad, provided that registration, payment, identification, and test-center requirements are met.