At the end of August 2026 something changed that invalidated months of planning for tens of thousands of students. This is a plain account of what happened and what is still possible — no hype, no promises.
What actually happened
On 24 August 2026 the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control suspended General License G, the authorisation that since 2014 had been the legal basis for American educational services being offered to Iranians.
The direct consequence: Duolingo announced that from 1 September 2026 its English Test would not be available to people testing in Iran or using Iranian government-issued identification. The restriction follows the document, not the address, so it also affects Iranian passport holders living abroad. TOEFL and GRE, both run by the American organisation ETS, were suspended in Iran.
One detail gets lost in the noise: Iranian citizenship alone is not automatically disqualifying. Someone outside Iran holding a valid identity document issued by another country may still be able to sit these tests. The test provider decides, not us.
What remains
IELTS is owned by British Council, IDP and Cambridge — not an American company — so it does not fall directly under that American licence. Sanctions move quickly and registration and payment conditions differ by centre, so confirm with your local test centre before planning around it.
PTE Academic belongs to the British company Pearson and is accepted in many countries. Acceptance depends on your destination institution: read its list of accepted certificates before paying any test fee. A test your destination does not recognise is no use however available it is.
If your destination is Germany, Austria or Switzerland you do not need an English test at all: Goethe-Zertifikat, telc and ÖSD are what count, and none of them is American. Many people currently hunting for a Duolingo alternative are in fact heading to Germany — for them the shorter route is changing the target language, not the English test.
The mistake being made right now
Be careful with offers promising “unrestricted language certificates” or “instant online certification”. A certificate your target university does not recognise costs you twice: once in money, once in time. No website, this one included, can issue an official language certificate. The authority is your university’s or immigration office’s own list.
What genuinely helps meanwhile
A simple fact gets forgotten: a test is only a measurement. What is measured is your language level, and no sanction can close that. Someone at B1 today who works steadily for six months will be ready when the testing route reopens. Someone who spends those six months waiting will be exactly where they started.
So separate the testing track from the learning track. For testing, follow official announcements and keep your fee until the situation is clear. For learning, start now — it is the only part fully under your control.
Where to start
If you do not know your level, start with a placement test; ours is free for 13 languages and reports on the CEFR scale (A1–C2). Then the path is clear: A1–A2 builds the base, B1–B2 is the band most universities ask for, C1 means comfort in an academic environment.
We are not a test provider and we do not issue official certificates — we say so plainly, because it is said too rarely at the moment. What we do is teach: structured lessons from A1 to C2, exercises with feedback, and textbooks.