Important Notice for Prospective Applicants Located or Ordinarily Resident in Iran

On August 24, 2026, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) suspended several general licenses under U.S. Iran sanctions. Because of this change in federal regulation, Columbia’s legal authorization to recruit, admit, and enroll individuals who are located in Iran or who are ordinarily resident in Iran has been suspended.

Impact on Prospective Applicants

 If you are currently outside the United States and located in Iran or ordinarily resident in Iran, regardless of country of citizenship, Columbia is legally prohibited from processing your application or providing educational services. Specifically, we can no longer:

·  Accept, review, or process applications for admission (including issuing offers of admission).

·  Accept payments for application fees or tuition.

·  Grant or administer scholarships or financial aid.

If these rules apply to you, we regret that we cannot move forward with your application at this time.

Sanctions regulations law depends on specific facts about your location, residency, and immigration status. If you apply and are living outside the United States and are ordinarily resident in Iran, but are not currently located in Iran, we may reach out to request additional documentation to help us determine whether we can process your application. 

Understanding "Ordinarily Resident" Status

Under OFAC regulations, "ordinarily resident" includes individuals, for example, who are temporarily authorized to stay in a third country but intend to return to Iran. For example, a student studying in a third country on a temporary visa who returns to Iran during holidays and intends to return to Iran after their studies is considered to be ordinarily resident in Iran.

We understand that these changes by the U.S. Government may be deeply frustrating for talented applicants who wish to apply for Columbia.  We will continue to monitor regulatory developments closely.