Thirty-four U.S. Colleges and Universities Win IDEAS Grants to Build Study Abroad Capacity

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.

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. 

“Increasing and diversifying U.S. students going abroad for educational opportunities, as well as diversifying the places where they study, is a State Department priority,” said Lee Satterfield, Assistant U.S. Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs. “This year’s recipients reflect the true greatness of America – our diversity – as almost 25 percent represent two-year institutions, 40 percent represent minority-serving institutions, and 25 percent represent rural-serving institutions.

IDEAS grants increase the capacity of accredited U.S. colleges and universities to create, expand, and diversify study abroad programs for U.S. students. Examples of how past IDEAS grantee institutions have utilized their funding to impact study abroad participation on their campuses can be found here. In addition to the IDEAS grant competition, the program also offers opportunities for international educators at U.S. colleges and universities to participate in a series of free virtual and in-person study abroad capacity building activities.

Congratulations to the following 34 colleges and universities on their 2023 IDEAS grants.

• Alabama A&M University, AL
• Bellevue College, WA
• Central Georgia Technical College, GA
• Clemson University, SC
• Fayetteville Technical Community College, NC
• Florida Memorial University, FL
• Georgia Gwinnett College, GA
• Grinnell College, IA
• 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 University-Camden, NJ
• Shoreline Community College, WA
• St. Cloud State University, MN
• Transylvania University, KY
• University of Alabama in Huntsville, AL
• 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*
• University of Wisconsin – River Falls, WI
• Ursinus College, PA
• Utah Valley University, UT
• Xavier University, OH

*IDEAS Consortium grant, Indigenous-Serving Institutions. This institution was awarded a $50,000 grant to collaborate on building study abroad capacity, programs, and resources at institutions serving Indigenous peoples of the United States.

More information on these grantees can be found on the Grantee Profiles page. Full project descriptions are coming soon.