U.S. Department of State awards grants to 34 U.S. colleges and universities to expand study abroad opportunities for American students 

Publication Date: June 8, 2023
Publication Location: Washington, DC
Contact: Abby Henson   |   [email protected]

As part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s efforts to bolster international student mobility, including increasing the number of American students who study abroad, the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA), announced today that 34 U.S. colleges and universities were awarded nearly $1.2 million in grants through the 2023 Increase and Diversify Education Abroad for U.S. Students (IDEAS) Program grant competition. The IDEAS program is implemented by World Learning.

Through IDEAS grants, these institutions, which represent both public and private colleges and universities, as well as eight community colleges and 13 minority-serving institutions from 28 states, will develop and expand study abroad programs around the world that are aligned with U.S. foreign policy goals and provide international experiences for U.S. students.  For example, the Department’s IDEAS grants will support such activities as: developing new international partnerships and programs, training faculty and staff in program development and implementation, creating resources to engage diverse student groups in study abroad, and developing virtual and hybrid exchanges.  

The 2023 IDEAS grants were awarded to the following colleges and universities: Alabama A&M University, AL; Bellevue College, WA; Central Georgia Technical College, GA; Clemson University – CUOSP, SC; Fayetteville Technical Community College, NC; Florida Memorial University, FL; Georgia Gwinnett College, GA; Grinnell College, IA; Kentucky State University, KY; Kettering University, MI; Madison Area Technical College, WI; Mount St Mary’s University, Los Angeles, CA; Oregon State University College of Forestry, OR; Parkland College, IL; Pellissippi State Community College, TN; Regis College, MA; Richard Bland College, VA; Rochester Institute of Technology, NY; Rutgers-Camden, NJ; Shoreline Community College, WA; St. Cloud State University, MN; The University of Alabama in Huntsville, AL; Transylvania University, KY; University of Connecticut, CT; University of Kansas Center for Research, KS; University of Maryland Baltimore County, MD; University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC; University of Rhode Island, RI; University of South Dakota, SD; University of Texas at San Antonio, TX; University of Washington Tacoma, WA; Ursinus College, PA; Utah Valley University, UT; and Xavier University, OH. 

IDEAS grants increase the capacity of accredited U.S. colleges and universities to create, expand, and diversify study abroad programs for U.S. students. In addition to the IDEAS grant competition, the program also offers opportunities for faculty, staff, and administrators at U.S. colleges and universities to participate in a series of free virtual and in-person study abroad capacity-building activities. For more information, including details on a free IDEAS webinar series on maximizing study abroad resources, please visit http://www.studyabroadcapacitybuilding.org/.    

World Learning Inc. is a thriving global organization made up of World Learning, a global development and exchange nonprofit organization, The Experiment in International Living, the nation’s most experienced provider of intercultural exchange programs abroad and virtual for high school students; and School for International Training, offering accredited undergraduate study abroad programs through SIT Study Abroad, including the comparative International Honors Program, and internationally focused master’s degrees, certificate programs, and a doctorate through SIT Graduate Institute. For more than 90 years, the organization has delivered international education, cultural exchanges, and sustainable development. For more information, visit worldlearning.org.