Thirty-Seven IDEAS Grants Awarded to U.S. Colleges and Universities to Build Study Abroad Capacity

The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs announced today that 37 grants totaling nearly $1.3 million were awarded to U.S. colleges and universities through the 2024 Increase and Diversify Education Abroad for U.S. Students (IDEAS) Program grant competition.   

The grants will enable these institutions to create and expand study abroad programs around the world that are aligned with U.S. foreign policy goals and provide international experiences and new skills for U.S. students.  The recipients are U.S. public and private colleges and universities (including 10 community colleges and 14 minority-serving institutions), located across the country in 24 U.S. states and Washington, D.C.   The 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 students in study abroad, and developing virtual and hybrid exchanges.  IDEAS grant recipients will develop programming to 36 destinations across all world regions, for example in Botswana, Croatia, Indonesia, Nepal, Tunisia, and Uruguay. 

“The U.S. Department of State is proud to support these U.S. colleges and universities as they build capacity for more American students to study abroad in diverse locations around the world.  Increasing the number of U.S. students with international experiences is part of our investment in ensuring that our country’s future leaders have the skills they need in fields ranging from global health to technology and innovation,” said Heidi Manley, Chief of USA Study Abroad. 

Congratulations to the following 37 colleges and universities on their 2024 IDEAS grants.

• Alamo Colleges District, TX 
• Borough of Manhattan Community College – City University of New York, NY 
• Colorado Mountain College, CO 
• Community College of Philadelphia, PA 
• Coppin State University, MD 
• Fort Valley State University, GA 
• Guilford Technical Community College, NC 
• Highline College, WA 
• Iona University, CT 
• Iowa State University, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, IA 
• Joliet Junior College, IL 
• Kentucky State University, KY 
• Kirkwood Community College, IA 
• Livingstone College, NC 
• Marshall University, WV* 
• Miami Dade College, FL 
• Miami University, OH 
• Northern Kentucky University, KY 
• Northern Michigan University, MI 
• Oregon State University, OR 
• Polk State College, FL 
• Shippensburg University, PA 
• Snow College, UT 
• Southern Utah University, UT 
• State University of New York at Oswego, NY* 
• University of Dayton, OH 
• University of Georgia, GA 
• University of Maryland College Park, MD 
• University of Missouri, MO 
• University of Nebraska Omaha, NE 
• University of North Texas at Dallas, TX 
• University of South Florida, FL 
• University of Tennessee, TN 
• University of the District of Columbia, DC 
• University of Tulsa, OK 
• University of Wyoming, WY 
• Worcester Polytechnic Institute, MA 

* In support of the bipartisan 2022 CHIPS and Science Act, two consortium grants of $50,000 each were awarded to institutions collaborating to build study abroad capacity, programs, and resources at community colleges to prepare U.S. students for careers in STEM, technical, and/or vocational fields.  The State University of New York at Oswego (partnered with Monroe Community College) and Marshall University (partnered with BridgeValley Community and Technical College of WV) will develop study abroad programs that will help students gain global job skills aligned with local industry needs, including in computer science, engineering, manufacturing, and semiconductor development.   

IDEAS grants increase the capacity of accredited U.S. colleges and universities to establish, expand, and broaden study abroad programs for U.S. students.  In addition to the grant competition, the program offers free virtual and in-person study abroad capacity building activities for faculty, staff, and administrators at U.S. colleges and universities.  The IDEAS Program is a program of the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the United States Government and supported in its implementation by World Learning.