Updated at 8:30 a.m. Moscow time to include ETS' clarification on remote testing.
Organizers of the benchmark TOEFL English exam have banned Russian citizens from taking the test, independent media outlet Mediazona reported Tuesday.
The Educational Testing Service (ETS) has blocked a number of Russian citizens from the online platform that runs the TOEFL exam, according to Mediazona.
The TOEFL qualification is recognized by 11,000 universities in over 190 countries and plays a key role in job hiring processes and higher education.
Several Russian users have encountered messages saying that their access had been suspended in order to comply with Western sanctions, Mediazona reported.
Following Russia’s invasion of neighboring Ukraine in February, the U.S.-founded ETS and fellow English language test IELTS stopped offering exams in Russia.
Mediazona did not report an official response from ETS and The Moscow Times was not able to immediately reach the company for comment.
On Wednesday, ETS told the state-run TASS news agency that Russians and Belarusians would be able to take the test remotely or in person in another country starting Thursday.
