American University Bans Iranian Students from Science Classes

An American university has decided not to allow Iranian students into some of its engineering and science programs because of recent government sanctions.

University of Massachusetts Amherst recently published its decision to deny Iranian students into the program saying it is obliged to “respect laws passed by Congress.” In its statement UMass Amherst says according to the law it must deny students into specific programs such as the College of Engineering (i.e., Chemical Engineering, Electrical & Computer Engineering, Mechanical & Industrial Engineering) and in the College of Natural Sciences (i.e., Physics, Chemistry, Microbiology, and Polymer Science & Engineering) effective February 1, 2015.

Photo Credit: UMass Amherst Facebook

In August 2012, Congress enacted the “Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human Rights Act of 2012,” which excludes citizens of Iran from education in the United States if they plan to focus on nuclear and, more broadly, energy related research in Iran. The University has determined that these sanctions pose a significant challenge to its ability to provide a full program of education and research for Iranian students in certain disciplines and programs.

“We recognize that these decisions create difficulties for our students from Iran and regard this as unfortunate,” said UMass Amherst in a statement. “Furthermore, the exclusion of a class of students from admission directly conflicts with our institutional values and principles. However, we must to adhere to the law and hence have instituted this policy to ensure that we are in compliance.”

So far UMass Amherst is the only university to change its policy regarding Iranian students, but it could only be a matter of time before other schools follow suit.