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Special Academic Exchange programs include: Council of American Overseas Research Centers, Benjamin A Gilman International Scholarship Program; National Clearinghouse on Disability and Exchange, United States-South Pacific Scholarship Program; Tibetan Scholarship Program, United States-Timor-Leste Scholarship Program, among others
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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 leaders and future leaders, and the benefits of education programs 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 U.S. citizens having international experiences and 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 and citizens of other countries. The purpose of Special Academic Exchange Programs is to provide targeted support for U.S. and foreign students and others who may not otherwise have the resources to pursue international exchange opportunities or who are in fields directly relevant to identified needs in their countries.
This chart shows obligations for the program by fiscal year. All data for this chart was provided by the
administering agency and sourced from SAM.gov, USASpending.gov, and Treasury.gov.
For more information on each of these data sources, please see the
About the data page.
No Current Data Available. The grant to the Council of American Overseas Research Centers (CAORC) provides program and administrative funds to 20 Overseas Research Centers (ORCs) in all world regions, and coordinates grant management, administrative operations, and the program collaboration of these centers. Approximately 175 grants were awarded in FY 2016, including seven U.S. fellows conducting multi-country research in countries where ORCs are located.
Under the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program, 2,922 American undergraduate students were awarded scholarships for study abroad in countries around the world.
Alumni of the Tibetan Scholarship Program are active through an alumni association and work with Tibetan refugee youth. Approximately 430 Tibetan scholarships have been awarded in the past 29 years. Under the U.S.-South Pacific Scholarship Program, one student was awarded graduate scholarships and two student were awarded undergraduate scholarship.
Under the U.S.-Timor-Leste Scholarship Program, three students were awarded undergraduate scholarships with pre-academic English language study.
Working to promote increased participation of persons with disabilities in international exchange, the National Clearinghouse on Disability and Exchange during FY 2016 addressed particular themes relating to 1) international students with disabilities studying in the United States; 2) encouraging U.S. citizens with disabilities to participate in experientially-based exchange programs, internships and volunteer assignments relating to sports, the arts and other fields beyond the academic world and 3) increasing the capabilities of the U.S. State Department and its program partners to more effectively manage international exchange programs including people with disabilities.
In Fiscal Year 2017, the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program provided scholarships to more than 3,200 U.S. undergraduates from over 60 colleges and universities to study in more than 100 countries, while increasing domestic outreach efforts to U.S. colleges and universities, including engagement with advisers and program alumni.
The Council of American Overseas Research Centers (CAORC) supports international scholarship and educational engagement for U.S. faculty, independent scholars, and students through American Overseas Research Centers (ORCs) located around the world. The ORCs, with their scholarly connections, permanent on-the-ground facilities, and relationships with host-country institutions directly contribute to ECA’s mission of fostering mutual understanding through exchange. CAORC and the ORCs directly support the advanced research of more than 150 U.S. and host-country students and scholars and the participation of more than 200 in other CAORC and ORC programs and activities each year.
Through the United States-South Pacific Scholarship Program and the United States-Timor-Leste Scholarship Program, there were a total of six Asian students (three in each program) selected for study in undergraduate degree programs in the United States.
On July 17, 2018, the National Clearinghouse on Disability and Exchange held a “Joining Hands” Symposium in Washington, DC. One hundred twenty-five people from the international exchanges community and the disabilities community participated in a day-long series of panel presentations and discussions regarding including people with disabilities in international exchange programs.
There were nine FY 2017 Tibetan Scholarship Program participants.
In FY 2018, the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program continued outreach efforts with advisors and other key audiences at U.S. colleges and universities, engaged with program alumni, and supported approximately 3,500 awards.
Three U.S.-Timor Leste (USTL) scholarships were awarded to participants from Timor-Leste.
Three U.S.-South Pacific (USSP) scholarships were awarded to two participants from Vanuatu and one from the Solomon Islands.
In 2019, approximately 234 participants, including 194 Americans, were awarded Council of American Overseas Research Centers (CAORC) and Overseas Research Centers (ORC) research fellowships.
In 2019, 15 Tibetan students from India and Nepal participated in the Tibetan Scholarship Program.
In 2019, three students from Timor-Leste participated in the U.S. Timor-Leste Scholarship Program.
In 2019, three students from the South Pacific islands participated in the U.S. South Pacific Scholarship Program.
In 2019, approximately 3,500 awards will be provided to U.S. students for credit-bearing study or internships abroad under the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program.
In FY 2020, the National Clearinghouse on Disability and Exchange conducted the Joining Hands Virtual Symposium which was attended by 1,000 participants from more than 70 countries.
In FY 2020, the Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarship Program supported more than 2,500 awards to students who will carry out accredited internships and study abroad.
In FY 2020, the Tibetan Scholarship Program supported 15 student awards.
No Current Data Available.
The Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program provides approximately 3,100 scholarships for credit-bearing study or internships abroad to U.S. undergraduate students with significant financial need (Pell Grant recipients). The National Clearinghouse on Disability and Exchange (NCDE) designed and implemented resource materials, training, guidance, best practices, and tool kits to serve the needs of U.S. and international exchange participants with apparent and non-apparent disabilities, U.S. higher education institutions, and practitioners supporting exchange participants with disabilities in the United States and globally. The U.S. South Pacific Scholarship Program (USSP) provided two undergraduate and one graduate scholarship for study in the United States. The U.S. Timor-Leste Scholarship Program (USTL) provided three scholarships for undergraduate study in the United States.
The Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarship Program sent approximately 3,500 participants to more than 80 countries to study or intern abroad, providing them with skills critical to fostering mutual understanding, national security, and economic prosperity.
No Current Data Available.
No Current Data Available.
Single Audit Applies (2 CFR Part 200 Subpart F):
For additional information on single audit requirements for this program, review the current Compliance Supplement.
OMB is working with the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) and agency offices of inspectors general to include links to relevant oversight reports. This section will be updated once this information is made available.
