The organization ETS, which organizes the TOEFL English exam, has banned Russian citizens from taking it. Mediazone became aware of this, the editors were convinced of the ban.

The ban was reported by a reader whose account on the exam website included the entry “In order to comply with the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) requirements, your access to TOEFL products and services is limited” (“In order to comply with the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) requirements, your access to TOEFL products and services is limited”) (OFAC) your access to TOEFL products and services is restricted"). The same entry appeared in the account of the Mediazona journalist. Also, Russians cannot send the results of an already passed test to universities, the newspaper writes.

In response to a letter from a reader at ETS, they replied that Russians and citizens of the DPRK are prohibited from signing up for exams or creating accounts in accordance with the requirements of the US Treasury Department, but they did not explain what these requirements were and where they were officially listed.

The ban on taking exams in Russia and Belarus was introduced by ETS back in March, the same restriction was introduced by organizations of the international system for assessing English language proficiency IELTS. However, there has been no information about the ban on passing the TOEFL so far. English TOEFL and IELTS certificates are required for admission to many foreign universities.