The University of Massachusetts Amherst announced on Feb. 12 in an email to students that it will stop accepting Iranian international students to certain graduate programs. This is being done in an effort to comply with a U.S. Department of Homeland Security policy that prevents Iranian citizens from obtaining "U.S. visas if they seek higher education in preparation for careers in Iran's energy sector or any field related to nuclear power."
Students will not be allowed into chemical, mechanical and computer engineering graduate programs or into any natural science graduate programs.
The decision has received backlash from the U.S. State Department. A Department Official said that there have been no recent changes in policy regarding Iranian students at American universities and were unsure as to why UMass Amherst changed its policy.
Iranian students at the university are also upset. "We feel that it's against the American spirit of freedom in education," Amir Azadi, a member of the school's Iranian Students Association, said.
The policy includes a statement noting the misalignment of the policy with the school's mission. "The exclusion of a class of students from admission directly conflicts with our institutional values and principles," the policy states.
The policy also affects Iranian students that are currently enrolled in the school. They will be required to recognize the new policy and in writing, state their compliance with it.
Read the full article at The Boston Globe.
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