Assisting International Students in the COVID-19 Crisis

IIE Emergency Student Fund: Covid-19 Response

IIE has committed $2 million to aid international students caught in the crossfire of the coronavirus pandemic.

The necessary but abrupt campus closures in March have been devastating for many international students. Some were unable to go home due to border closures. Others made the difficult decision to remain in the U.S. anticipating they might not be able to return when their university reopens. Some students have fallen ill and need support while they recover.

Campus jobs have been cancelled for the summer and other employment options are limited by law. For many students, their families have been unable to provide funds they were counting on.

IIE is working to help these students during this difficult time. In the past two months, IIE has made over 630 emergency grants to students in need of basic living expenses.

Since our founding in 1919, IIE has always been there when students need us. The Emergency Student Fund, launched in 2010, provides grants to international college students in the U.S. when natural disasters, war, or other crises back home threaten their education.

From 2010 through 2019, we awarded more than 900 emergency grants to students from countries including Venezuela, Thailand, Syria, Yemen, the Philippines, and several Caribbean nations.

In just the first six months of 2020, IIE has awarded more than 750 grants.

Private contributions make this work possible. We could not do it without you. Please make a gift to help IIE prepare for the next crisis, so we can help more students when they need us most. All gifts, of any amount, are welcome.

For more details about the IIE Emergency Student Fund: Covid-19 Response, please visit the program website.