We call on the UK Government and universities to take immediate action to allow students in Gaza to sit the IELTS (International English Language Testing System) examination remotely.

Students in Gaza are being denied access to education, not because they lack ability, commitment, or ambition, but because there is no accessible IELTS test centre available to them. For students applying to study in the UK, this examination is often a compulsory admissions requirement. Without it, qualified applicants cannot take up their university places or continue towards careers in healthcare and other professions.

While universities have discretion to waive this requirement for international undergraduate and postgraduate students, UKVI requires all students accepted onto foundation courses to have an IELTS score. The tests must be taken at a SELT (Secure English Language Test) centre, but all such centres in Gaza have been destroyed.

A student may have met every academic requirement, studied for years, and prepared fully for university, yet still lose their opportunity because they cannot physically reach an examination centre. This is not an academic failure. It is an access failure.

At a time when Gaza urgently needs future professionals, especially in healthcare, capable students should not be prevented from entering higher education by a testing system that does not account for exceptional humanitarian circumstances.

We therefore urgently request that the relevant organisations:

Introduce a secure remote IELTS examination option for eligible students in Gaza.
Establish supervised online testing through approved universities, humanitarian organisations, schools, or international institutions.
Allow alternative English-language assessments where remote IELTS testing cannot be arranged.
Waive or reduce examination fees for students affected by the conflict.
Extend university application deadlines for applicants who cannot currently access an approved test centre.
Ensure that students are not rejected solely because circumstances beyond their control prevent them from taking IELTS.
Remote identity verification, live online invigilation, secure testing software, and institutional supervision are already technically possible. Exceptional circumstances require an exceptional but practical response.

Education must not become another casualty of war. A student’s future should not depend on whether an examination centre exists within travelling distance. Every delay risks closing university application windows and permanently disrupting the education of talented young people.

We ask all relevant organisations to coordinate immediately and create a lawful, secure, and accessible remote testing pathway.

Give students in Gaza the opportunity to prove their ability.

Give them a fair route to become the professionals their communities will urgently need.

We call for immediate remote IELTS access for students in Gaza.