Forty-Five Institutions Received Funding to Cover the Cost of Students’ U.S. Passport Applications.
WASHINGTON, May 8, 2025 — The IIE Center for International Opportunities (CIO) awarded 45 U.S. higher education institutions with IIE American Passport Project grants, empowering them to disburse the funds among Pell-eligible college students who aspire to study abroad; the grants cover the cost of obtaining a U.S. passport. Now in its fifth year, the program has reached the half-way mark to IIE’s goal of enabling 10,000 U.S. students to obtain their passports by the end of this decade. Each institutional recipient this year will support up to 25 students on their respective campuses.
Last year, study abroad among U.S. students continued to rebound – with nearly a 50% increase from the year before, but socio-economic disparities persist among Americans. The IIE American Passport Project advances IIE’s commitment to promoting international education and exchange, so that all students can gain the academic and career benefits of international experiences. The program helps to remove the initial financial barrier associated with passport applications; in addition, it prioritizes students early in their higher education experience, providing them ample time to go through the study abroad planning process with advising and support from their home institutions.
“IIE is pleased to continue supporting steadfast and important efforts of institutions increasing internationally experienced students, especially as they develop career ready graduates,” said Courtney Temple, Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer of IIE. “We appreciate the time and effort from all the applicants, and the IIE Center for International Opportunities looks forward to collaborating with this cohort of institutions.”
Open to IIENetwork member institutions, the IIE American Passport Project aims to reach institutions that serve a variety of U.S. student populations that often may not be participating in study abroad. To date, the program has issued grants to 220 higher education institutions in 40 states and the District of Columbia. In this fifth cohort, seven of the institutions are community colleges – the most awarded in a year; two institutions have teamed up in the University of Maryland system to expand their “collaborative and innovative experiences built around partnership and reconciliation”; and one is a university educating “the deaf and signing community on a national and global scale.” IIE selected the institutional recipients based in part on demonstrated efforts to prioritize student populations from low-income backgrounds and students who have not traveled abroad as an adult or in a learning environment.
Learn more about the IIE American Passport Project.
Please join us in congratulating the following IIENetwork U.S. member institutions!
Alamo Colleges District
Austin College
Austin Community College District
California State University-Long Beach
Central Connecticut State University
Coastal Carolina University
Gallaudet University
George Mason University
Gonzaga University
Howard Community College
Hudson Valley Community College
Kirkwood Community College
Knox College
Madison Area Technical College
Marquette University
Mira Costa College
Mississippi Valley State University
North Central College
Northern Michigan University
Palm Beach Atlantic University
Pratt Institute
Purdue University Northwest
Radford University
Regis College
Saint Mary’s College of California
San Jose State University
Shenandoah University
Southern University & A&M College
St. Catherine University
Tulane University
University of Georgia
University of Hawaii-Hilo
University of Houston-Clear Lake
University of Illinois Urbana Champaign
University of Kentucky
University of Mary Washington
University of Maryland – College Park, in partnership with Bowie State University
University of Massachusetts Boston
University of Memphis
University of North Carolina-Greensboro
University of Tennessee, Chattanooga
Wake Forest University
Widener University
Willamette University
About the IIE Center for International Opportunities
The IIE Center for International Opportunities aims to enrich and expand international education, exchange, and opportunity for all by providing expertise on education and skills development and leveraging thought leadership. Through dialogue and action and with a global lens, the Center leverages programs and partnerships across multiple sectors and a range of institutions; cultivates global learning to support the engagement and understanding of individuals and communities; and, expands educational opportunities for all to maximize student potential and employability. Learn more at iie.org/CIO.
About the Institute of International Education
The Institute of International Education (IIE) is the leader in designing and implementing international education strategies and program services. We work with governments, policymakers, educators, and employers across the globe to prepare students and professionals for the global workforce and equip them to solve the increasingly complex challenges facing our interconnected world. With support from donors, we also create initiatives that assist students, scholars, and artists whose lives and work are threatened; expand teaching and learning across cultures; and provide life-changing opportunities. A not-for-profit organization founded in 1919, IIE has a network of offices and affiliates worldwide and over 1,600 higher education partners. Visit iie.org.