Academic Exchange Programs - Undergraduate Programs

 

As authorized by the Fulbright-Hays Act, the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) seeks to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries by means of educational and cultural exchange programs, including the exchange of scholars, researchers, professionals, students, and educators. ECA programs foster engagement and encourage dialogue with citizens around the world. Educational and cultural engagement is premised on the knowledge that mutual understanding, the development of future leaders, and the benefits of education programs serve to influence societies and affect official decision-making almost everywhere in the world today. ECA programs inform, engage, and influence participants across strategic sectors of society including young people, women, teachers, scholars, journalists, and other professionals increasing the number of foreign individuals who have first-hand experience with Americans and with the values of freedom, representative government, rule of law, economic choice, and individual dignity, while building international knowledge and capacity among Americans. The purpose of Undergraduate Programs is to provide targeted support for American students to pursue intensive language study abroad and to expand the opportunities available for American students via study abroad programming as well as to provide foreign students with opportunities to gain a better understanding of the United States, while developing new generations of world leaders. Undergraduate programs include the Global Undergraduate Exchange Program (Global UGRAD); Study of the U.S. Institutes for Student Leaders (SUSI); Community College Initiative (CCI) Program ; the Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Program; and the Increase and Diversify Education Abroad for U.S. Students (IDEAS) Program (formerly the Capacity-Building Program for U.S. Undergraduate Study Abroad).

Active 19.009 Bureau of Educational and Cultural, Department of State B - Project Grants Fiscal Year 2016 No Current Data Available. In 2016, approximately 25 individual UGRAD scholarships were awarded. There were approximately 685 participants in Study of the U.S. Institutes for Student Leaders including in YSEALI exchanges. Twenty-four universities, colleges, and NGOs throughout the United States hosted the SUSI and YSEALI students. In FY 2016, 1,000 Mandela Washington Fellows from all 48 sub-Saharan African countries participated in the inaugural Fellowship. They were hosted by 38 universities and colleges throughout the United States. In FY 20165, 146242 Community College Initiative Program participants from 1113 countries were placed at U.S. community colleges. In FY 20165, 564550 U.S. undergraduate and graduate students studied in fourteen countries and twenty-three institutes across the world through the Critical Language Scholarship Program. In FY 2016, approximately eleven U.S. higher education institutions will receive grants to expand or diversify their study abroad opportunities through the Capacity-Building Program for U.S. Undergraduate Study Abroad.
Fiscal Year 2017 In Fiscal Year 2017, the Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Program supported more than 550 U.S. students on intensive summer institutes to study Arabic, Azerbaijani, Bangla, Chinese, Hindi, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Persian, Punjabi, Russian, Swahili, Turkish, and Urdu. CLS also increased domestic outreach efforts to U.S. colleges and universities, including engagement with advisors and program alumni. The Community College Initiative Program provided awards to 146 international participants. In Fiscal Year 2017, the Study of the U.S. Branch hosted a total of 421 SUSI undergraduate participants from around the world. The Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) hosted 250 fellows while the Mandela Washington Fellowship (YALI) hosted 700 fellows. In FY 2017, Global UGRAD brought 250 students from around the world to the United States to study in American universities.
Fiscal Year 2018 In Fiscal Year 2018, the Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Program continued outreach efforts with advisors and other key audiences at U.S. colleges and universities, engaged with program alumni, and supported more than 568 U.S. students on intensive summer institutes to study Arabic, Azerbaijani, Bangla, Chinese, Hindi, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Persian, Punjabi, Russian, Swahili, Turkish, and Urdu. Portuguese language study was added for summer 2019. In Fiscal Year 2018, the Community College Initiative Program provided awards to 135 international participants.
Fiscal Year 2019 In 2019, Global UGRAD placed 244 students at over 70 institutions across the United States. In 2019, Global UGRAD Pakistan placed 270 students at 103 host schools in 42 states. In 2019 SUSI placed 427 student leaders in 18 host institutions across the United States. In 2019, the YSEALI Academic Fellowship placed 125 Fellows in seven institutions across the United States. In 2019 (FY 2018) the Mandela Washington Fellowship placed 698 Fellows at institutes across the United States. In 2020 (FY 2019) 700 candidates from across Sub-Saharan Africa were selected to participate in the program in 2021. In 2019, 128 students from 12 countries studied at community colleges across the United States under the Community College Initiative Program. Under the Critical Language Scholarship Program, approximately 546 undergraduate and graduate students completed intensive summer programs in 15 priority languages. The U.S. Capacity Building Program provided 24 awards to U.S. higher education institutions in 2019.
Fiscal Year 2020 Global UGRAD successfully pivoted to virtual English Language Training (ELT) in Fall 2019 due to the travel restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic with 37 students participating in the ELT.
Fiscal Year 2021 Approximately 448 foreign undergraduate students participated in virtual SUSI programs in FY 2021, most funded with FY 2020 funds. Six hundred and sixty-eight MWF fellows participated in the summer 2021 YALI programs, all virtual participants were funded with FY20 funds. During FY 2021, 248 YSEALI fellows participated in virtual programming, funded with FY 2020 funds. In FY 2021, Global UGRAD placed more than 320 students at over 80 institutions around the United States for the Spring 2022 semester.
Fiscal Year 2022 In FY 2022, ECA selected 700 young leaders from 49 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa to participate in the Mandela Washington Fellowship. In FY 2022, 250 undergraduates or recent graduates from Southeast Asia participated in the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) Academic Fellowship. In FY 2022, the Community College Initiative program brought 146 students from 17 different countries to the United States for an academic year. In FY 2022, the Global UGRAD Program brought approximately 300 students from 62 different countries to the United States for a one semester exchange program.
Fiscal Year 2023 No Current Data Available.
Fiscal Year 2024 No Current Data Available. The Fulbright-Hays Act of 1961, as amended, Public Law 87-256, 22 U.S.C. 2451 Pursuant to the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961, as amended (Fulbright-Hays Act) the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State awards grants and cooperative agreements to educational and cultural public or private nonprofit foundations or institutions. Applications may be submitted by public and private non-profit organizations meeting the provisions described in Internal Revenue Code section 26 USC 501(c)(3). Organizations must have nonprofit status with the IRS at the time of application. Please refer to the Grants.gov or the U.S. Department of State's SAMS Domestic announcement for further eligibility criteria. Beneficiaries include recipient organizations, educational institutions, other non-government organizations (NGOs) that meet the provisions described in Internal Revenue Code section 26 USC 501(c)(3), as well as sponsored participants, and the American people and the people of participating countries who interact with the international participants. Pursuant to the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961, as amended (Fulbright-Hays Act) the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State awards project grants and cooperative agreements to educational and cultural public or private nonprofit foundations or institutions. Applications may be submitted by public and private non-profit organizations meeting the provisions described in Internal Revenue Code section 26 USC 501(c)(3). Organizations must have nonprofit status with the IRS at the time of application. Please refer to the Grants.gov or the U.S. Department of State's SAMS Domestic announcement for further eligibility criteria. OMB Guidance 2 CFR Part 200, Subpart E Cost Principles under Special Considerations for States, Local Governments, and Indian Tribes applies to this program. Preapplication coordination is not applicable. 2 CFR 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards applies to this program. OMB Guidance 2 CFR Parts 200 and 600, entitled the Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards, applies to this program. Announcements are posted on the Grants.gov and the U.S. Department of State's website: http://eca.state.gov/organizational-funding or the U.S. Department of State's SAMS Domestic website for organizations meeting eligibility requirements. Announcements are made as necessary during the fiscal year. The application procedures are described in the Grants.gov or the U.S. Department of State's SAMS Domestic announcement. Final awards cannot be made until funds have been appropriated by Congress, allocated and committed through internal Bureau procedures. Successful applicants will receive a Federal Assistance Award (FAA) from the Bureau's Grants Office. The FAA and the original proposal with subsequent modifications (if applicable) shall be the only binding authorizing document between the recipient and the U.S. Government. The FAA will be signed/validated by an authorized Grants Officer, and sent via the U.S. Department of State's SAMS Domestic to the recipient's responsible officer identified in the application. Contact the headquarters or regional location, as appropriate for application deadlines From 60 to 90 days. See Grants.gov or the U.S. Department of State's SAMS Domestic for announcements. Not applicable. As stated in Grants.gov or the U.S. Department of State's SAMS Domestic announcements. As stated in Grants.gov or the U.S. Department of State's SAMS Domestic announcements. Funding is provided to non-profit organizations, colleges, and universities to support their work in designing and administering programs as well as coordinating program logistics. Funding supports publicity and recruitment, screening of applications, communication with participants, payment of participant costs, and the provision of enrichment activities. The Global Undergraduate Exchange Program (Global UGRAD) provides one semester scholarships to outstanding undergraduate students from underrepresented and underserved communities in Central Asia, East Asia and the Pacific, Europe, Eurasia, the Near East, South Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, and the Western Hemisphere. In FY 22, Global UGRAD placed more than 30 students at over 80 institutions around the United States for the Spring 2022 semester. The Global Undergraduate Exchange Program with Pakistan (Global UGRAD Pakistan) provides one semester scholarships to outstanding, undergraduate, emerging student leaders from across Pakistan who traditionally may not have access to the American educational system. The Study of the U.S. Institutes for Student Leaders are five-week academic programs focusing on topics in U.S. studies for 19 groups of 20 foreign undergraduates. This model includes the Young Southeast Asian Leaders (YSEALI) Academic Fellowship, which aims to build the leadership capacity of youth in Asia, to strengthen ties between the United States and Asia, and to nurture an ASEAN identity. The Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders (YALI) also follows the SUSI model but targets young professionals from Sub-Saharan Africa. In FY 2022, the Fellowship selected 700 young leaders from 49 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa to participate in the program. The Community College Initiative Program (CCIP) provides emerging leaders from underserved and underrepresented groups with a one-year non-degree academic program at a U.S. community college in the fields of agriculture; information technology; applied engineering; and other relevant technology fields; business management and administration; early childhood education; media and communications; public safety; and tourism and hospitality management. Approximately 146 participants from 17 countries completed programming at community college campuses across the United States. The Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Program provides fully-funded, group-based intensive language instruction and structured cultural enrichment experiences to U.S. undergraduate and graduate students through overseas summer institutes. The CLS program is designed to increase the number of Americans studying and mastering foreign languages that are critical to U.S. national security and economic competitiveness. In 2022, the CLS Program successfully held virtual and hybrid institutes for almost 600 undergraduate and graduate students. The Increase and Diversify Education Abroad for U.S. Students (IDEAS) Program provides awards to U.S. colleges and universities to expand and diversify their study abroad programs and broaden study abroad opportunities for students who have been traditionally underrepresented in study abroad and/or develop programs of study for students to destinations, and/or in disciplines, that have been traditionally underrepresented in study abroad. The goal is to increase the number of students who have the knowledge and skills they need to compete in the global economy and to help address global challenges as well as to develop sustainable study abroad programs that can benefit future cohorts of students. In FY22, approximately 34 U.S. higher education institutions received IDEAS awards to enhance their study abroad programming. Performance Reports: As stated in Grants.gov announcements. In accordance with the provisions of OMB Guidance 2 CFR Part 200, Subpart F Audit Requirements, a nonfederal entity that expends $750,000 or more during the non-Federal entity's fiscal year in Federal awards must have a single or program-specific-audit conducted for that year in accordance with the provisions of this part. The Recipient must comply with the OMB audit requirements. For all DOS awards, regardless of business type, the Recipients are subject to the audit requirements found in OMB audit requirements. Please refer to the U.S. Department of State's Standard Terms and Conditions for awards (https://www.state.gov/m/a/ope/index.htm) for additional guidance. The Recipients must maintain financial records, supporting documents, statistical records, and all other records pertinent to an award for a period of three years from the date of submission of the final expenditure report. Please refer to the U.S. Department of State's Standard Terms and Conditions for awards (https://www.state.gov/m/a/ope/index.htm) for additional guidance. Statutory formula is not applicable to this assistance listing.

Matching requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing.

MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing. As stated in Grants.gov or the U.S. Department of State's SAMS Domestic announcements. See the following for information on how assistance is awarded/released: Assistance is awarded/released through the Department's central financial management database. Assistance is awarded/released through the Department's central financial management database. None/Not specified. Vincent Pickett (Global Undergraduate Exchange Program)
Multi-Regional Programs Branch Chief, U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, 2200 C Street, NW, SA-5, Fourth Floor, Room 4B11, Washington, DC 20037
Washington, DC 20037 USA
PickettVS@state.gov
Phone: (202) 632-3243

Heidi Manley (Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Program and Increase and Diversify Education Abroad for U.S. Students (IDEAS) Program
U.S. Study Abroad Branch Chief, U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, 2200 C Street, NW, SA-5, Fourth Floor, Room 4CC13, Washington, DC 20037
Washington, DC 20037 USA
studyabroad@state.gov
Phone: 2026329265 http://exchanges.state.gov 19-0209-0-1-154 (Cooperative Agreements) FY 22$56,725,719.00; FY 23 est $56,725,719.00; FY 24 est $56,725,719.00; FY 21$49,820,520.00; FY 20$46,908,761.00; FY 19$53,620,585.00; FY 18$52,689,481.00; FY 17$52,288,777.00; - $399,956 to $16,950,000. As stated in the Grants.gov or the U.S. Department of State's SAMS Domestic announcements. In addition, organizations should be familiar with OMB Guidance 2 CFR Parts 200 and 600 entitled the Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards. For a copy of the OMB Guidance cited, please contact the U.S. Government Publishing Office or download from www.ecfr.gov website. Not applicable.