FY2025 Funding for International Education and Exchange Programs

NAFSA advocates for robust federal funding of international education and exchange programs, which is needed to fully restore and sustain international education activities at U.S. colleges and universities as we continue to recover following the pandemic.

Fiscal Year 2025 International Education Appropriations Request

FY2025 begins October 1, 2024, and ends September 30, 2025

**U.S. Department of Education**
Program	FY 2025 Request	FY 2024 Enacted
Title VI	$79.9 million	$75.4 million
Fulbright-Hays	$11 million	$10.3 million
Total International Education and Foreign Language Studies	$91 million	$85.7 million

**U.S. Department of State**
Program	FY 2025 Request	FY2025 House Recommendation	FY 2024 Enacted
EducationUSA	$14.3 million	TBD	TBD
Increase and Diversify Education Abroad for U.S. Students (IDEAS)	$5 million	TBD	TBD
Total for Educational and Cultural Exchange Programs	$808.6 million	$720.9 million	$741 million

On June 28, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 8771, the FY25 Department of State, Foreign Operations and Related Appropriations Act, which includes $720.9 million for funding of Education and Cultural Exchange Programs. Report language accompanying the bill specifies support for "continued funding of the IDEAS program."
On July 25, the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee approved its version of the fiscal 2025 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act. The bill includes $761.1 million in funding for educational and exchange programs, a 2.7 percent increase over current funding. Accompanying report language also specifies a recommendation of $5 million (a $3 million increase compared to last year’s Senate request) for the Increase and Diversify Education Abroad for U.S. Students (IDEAS) program, which was one of the asks at NAFSA Advocacy Day 2024.
On August 1, the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee approved the Labor, HHS, Education, and Related Agencies Act. The bill includes $85.7 million in funding for U.S. Education Department Title VI and Fulbright-Hays programs in fiscal 2025, which maintains the same level as fiscal 2024 funding and is 4.8 percent higher than the House's approved level.

Policy Recommendations

Issue Brief: FY 2025 Funding for International Education and Exchange Programs

Policy & Advocacy Resources

On May 1, 2024, House members sent letters to State and Foreign Operations and Labor, HHS, Education Appropriation Subcommittee leaders urging support for increased funding for international education in FY2025 appropriations:
- 98 House members joined Rep. Deborah Ross (D-NC-02) in requesting a total of $91 million for U.S. Department of Education Title VI and Fulbright-Hays international education and foreign language programs;
- 14 House members joined Rep. Brad Schneider (D-IL-10) in requesting an increase in funding for the Increase and Diversity Education Abroad for U.S. Students (IDEAS) program; and
- 109 House members joined Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA-04) in requesting an increase in funding for U.S. State Department international education and exchange programs.
On May 1, 2024, NAFSA joined the Alliance for International Exchange and 19 other international education organizations in a letter to House and Senate State and Foreign Operations Appropriation Subcommittee leaders expressing concerns about FY24 funding cuts to the State Department's Educational and Cultural Affairs programs.
On May 13, 2024, 35 Senators joined Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) in a letter to State and Foreign Operations Appropriation Subcommittee leaders supporting an increase in appropriations funding for international education and exchange programs at the U.S. State Department in FY2025.
On May 14, 2024, 24 Senators joined Senators Brian Schatz (D-HI) and Todd Young (R-IN) in a letter to Labor, HHS, Education Appropriation Subcommittee leaders supporting an increase in funding for Title VI and Fulbright-Hays international education and foreign language programs at the US. Department of Education.
On June 14, NAFSA, as a member of the Coalition for International Education, joined 28 other organizations in a letter to House Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee leadership in support of increased FY25 funding for the Title VI and Fulbright-Hays programs at the Department of Education.
On June 21, NAFSA, as a member of the Alliance for International Exchange, sent a letter to the leadership of the House Rules Committee urging opposition to harmful amendments to the FY25 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs funding bill that threatened to cut or even fully eliminate funding for the department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA).
With support from the Alliance and NAFSA, more than 2,500 messages were sent to House members urging them to reject the harmful amendments, ultimately resulting in one amendment being withdrawn and the other two were voted down on June 25.
On July 17, the Coalition for International Education, of which NAFSA is a member, sent a letter to Senate Labor, HHS and Education Appropriations Subcommittee leaders in support of robust Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 funding for Title VI and Fulbright-Hays programs at the Department of Education. The letter supports the robust funding request made in May by 25 U.S. senators and urges $91 million for Title VI and Fulbright-Hays programs in order to address “rising national needs for international expertise and global competency.”
On October 28, NAFSA sent a letter to House State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Subcommittee leaders to support funding for the IDEAS (Increase and Diversify Education Abroad for U.S. Students) grant program in the final Fiscal 2025 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs appropriations bill. The letter urges the House to support the Senate’s recommendation of $5 million in funding for the program in the final bill, which will be taken up by Congress during the lame duck session following the election.