Dive Brief:
- The University of Massachusetts-Amherst has reversed course on a ban it implemented on Iranian students earlier this month.
- The university had barred Iranians from enrolling in certain graduate science and engineering programs, citing a U.S. law aimed at preventing the education of future Iran nuclear program employees.
- UMass-Amherst's vice chancellor for research and engagement said that the school consulted with the U.S. State Department and decided that the restrictive admissions policy wasn't necessary, CNN reported.
Dive Insight:
Laws that restrict academic and scholarly work as a part of international sanctions present an interesting dilemma for colleges and universities that want to comply, but maintain their ideals of academic freedom and inclusion. When the university's policy was made public, the school had come under fire from critics who said that it could be setting a precedent for other universities. The Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans commended UMass for changing its mind on a policy that it said would have prevented qualified Iranians from enrolling in the university's courses.
