A US university rescinded Wednesday a new policy that would ban Iranian students from graduate programs in engineering, the Boston Globe reported.
The decision earlier this month to cut off Iranian students from certain programs in the University of Massachusetts Amherst caused a major backlash from faculty and students, especially Iranian student groups.
"We always felt like an integral part of the university community. Now we are just confused," Iranian-American UMass Amherst graduate told NBC News. "We want an explanation for this, and we don't think it should be tolerated, because it's clearly discriminatory against Iranian nationals."
The ban stemmed from US efforts to prevent the development of the Iranian nuclear program. These efforts included a 2012 law that prevents Iranians from studying in American universities if they planned to pursue a career in nuclear energy.
After consultations with the US Department of state following outcry over the controversial ban, officials at UMass Amherst stated Iranian students would be able to enroll in computer, chemical, and mechanical engineering programs.
Students have had mixed responses to the reversal of the ban. Mohsen Jalali, a member of the Iranian Graduate Students Association told the Boston Globe that the group was "more than happy," yet many Iranian students still feel that they are facing unfair policies.
Soroush Farzinmoghadam, a graduate student of architecture told the Boston Globe that the university's revised policy toward Iranian nationals is "still discriminatory."
