Call to extend admissions deadlines for cut-off Iranian students

Thousands of Iranian students applying to study abroad risk missing out as the country’s internet blackout blocks their ability to access admissions tests and visa processes amid the ongoing war with the US and Israel.

The more than two-week-long shutdown is preventing many students from accessing emails, university portals or visa updates, raising fears that applicants could miss interviews, document deadlines and other critical steps in the admissions process.

It follows the outbreak of conflict on 28 February, when the United States and Israel launched coordinated strikes on Iranian military and nuclear-related facilities. Iran has since retaliated with missile and drone attacks targeting Israel and US military bases across the region.

Vahid Mohammadi, founder of University Ltd, a consultancy supporting students applying to universities overseas, said many Iranian students are now in effect “invisible” to the universities they are applying to.

“If a student receives an interview invitation from a university, they might not even see the email,” he said. “Even if they hear about it somehow, they may not be able to attend because they simply cannot connect.”

Students also cannot respond to visa requests for documents within the short deadlines usually imposed by embassies.

“In the UK student visa process, when officers ask for additional documents, the student usually has about 10 days to respond,” said Mohammadi, whose organisation works with Iranian applicants to universities in the UK, Canada, Australia and Europe. “If they cannot send documents within that time, their application could be refused.

“I had a student who was supposed to take an online English test for a university. She is 18 and could not access the internet at all, so I had to contact the university and ask them to postpone the test.”

Some students have attempted to travel abroad simply to regain internet access. “I even have a student who travelled to Turkey just to attend an interview,” he said, adding that others have travelled to Armenia while waiting for visa decisions. But only a small minority can afford the additional costs of hotels and living expenses while waiting.

Mohammadi called on universities to show flexibility during the disruption. “If universities receive emails from Iranian students explaining they could not attend an interview because of the internet blackout, I hope the situation can be understood with empathy,” he said.

He suggested universities could temporarily hold applications or extend deadlines so students are not automatically rejected because they missed a message they were unable to access.

The internet shutdown is also severely affecting teaching and academic communication inside Iran, according to scholars with knowledge of the situation.

Negar Partow, vice-president of the International Community of Iranian Academics and a senior fellow at Indiana University’s Centre for the Study of the Middle East, said university activity has largely stalled.

“I don’t think any university is functioning at the moment,” Partow said. “The internet is not working and there is a very heavy security environment around universities.”

Students and academics are “stuck” and unable to continue courses or communicate with colleagues abroad, she added.

One Iranian student studying in the UK, who asked to remain anonymous for safety reasons, said the blackout meant she could only occasionally receive brief messages from friends and family.

“I cannot concentrate on my studies,” she said. “I even get headaches because I’m watching the news from the morning till I sleep. Even during my classes I can’t really concentrate on what the lecture is about.”

She said many Iranian students abroad felt universities could be doing more to support the students. “They just sent one email offering mental health support,” she said. “But it would be helpful if universities created spaces for debate or discussions so students from countries like Iran could talk about what is happening.”

She said friends studying in Tehran had been told to leave dormitories when the conflict began, with universities closed until at least the Persian New Year holiday period at the end of March. “With the internet blackout they cannot even have online classes,” she said.

Some of her friends are already considering leaving the country entirely if the political situation does not change.