Grants Cover the Cost of U.S. Passport Applications Among Pell-Eligible College Students
WASHINGTON, April 11, 2024 —The IIE Center for Access and Equity (CAE) today awarded 51 U.S. higher education institutions with IIE American Passport Project grants, empowering them to disburse the funds among Pell-eligible students seeking to obtain U.S. passports needed to study abroad. Now in its fourth year, this marks the largest number of grants IIE has issued to date.
Last year, study abroad among U.S. students rebounded to more than half of pre-pandemic levels, but socio-economic disparities continue to reinforce divides among Americans who are able to obtain a U.S. passport and study abroad. The IIE American Passport Project advances IIE’s commitment to creating access to international education opportunities and enabling equity by removing financial barriers. The program prioritizes students early in their higher education experience to allow them ample time to go through the passport application and study abroad planning process with advising and support from the awarded institutions. Through the IIE American Passport Project, IIE aims to grant 10,000 U.S. students their passports by the end of this decade. Each institutional recipient this year will support up to 25 students on their respective campuses.
“IIE is grateful to and applauds each institution that took the time to apply and for their ongoing, strategic efforts to achieve greater equity in study abroad,” said Courtney Temple, Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer of IIE. “The IIE Center for Access and Equity 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 U.S. students who are underrepresented in study abroad. To date, the program has issued grants to 176 higher education institutions in 41 states. In this fourth cohort, 41% of the institutions are designated as minority-serving — HBCUs, HSIs, AANAPISIs, and MSIs — or community colleges. IIE selected the institutional recipients based in part on demonstrated efforts to prioritize underrepresented demographics, including first-generation college students, racial minorities, students with demonstrated financial need, and students who have never traveled abroad.
Please join us in congratulating the following IIENetwork U.S. member institutions!
Adelphi University
Babson College
Baylor University
Bennett College
Bluegrass Community and Technical College
California Institute of the Arts
California Lutheran University
California State University-San Bernardino
Riverside Community College District
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Saint Peter’s University
Salve Regina University
San Mateo Community College District
Spelman College
St. John’s University
St. Mary’s College of Maryland
Central New Mexico Community College
College of Charleston
Elms College
Florida A & M University
Hanover College
Iowa State University
James Madison University
Kansas State University
Kenyon College
Lafayette College
State University of New York-Buffalo
Temple University
Texas A & M International University
Texas Tech University
Texas Woman’s University
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
The University of Virginia’s College at Wise
Troy University
Loyola Marymount University
Loyola University Chicago
Mississippi State University
National Louis University
Norfolk State University
North Carolina A&T State University
Pasadena City College
Polk State College
Pomona College
University of California San Diego
University of Central Missouri
University of Houston
University of Idaho
University of Michigan-Flint
University of Pittsburgh-Main Campus
University of Rochester
University of Texas-Dallas
Learn more about the IIE American Passport Project.
About the IIE Center for Access and Equity
The IIE Center for Access and Equity aims to advance accessible programming and equitable practices in community building that enrich and expand international education, exchange, and opportunity for all. Through dialogue and action, the Center leverages programs and partnerships that examine the intersection of international education with diversity, equity, inclusion, and access; cultivates global learning to support engagement and understanding of individuals and communities; and supports access for underrepresented communities by examining and addressing structural inequities. Learn more at www.iie.org/CAE.
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 opportunities to underserved populations. A not-for-profit organization founded in 1919, IIE has an extensive network of 16 offices and affiliates worldwide and over 1,600 higher education partners. Visit iie.org.