# Academic Exchange Programs - Undergraduate Programs (19.009)

Source: https://welltoldgrants.com/programs/19-009-academic-exchange-programs-undergraduate-programs/  
Publisher: Well Told Grants. Data: USAspending.gov and Grants.gov, updated November 7, 2026.

Academic Exchange Programs - Undergraduate Programs is run by Department of State. From fiscal 2021 to 2025 it awarded $230 million in 66 grants, about $3.5 million per award.

## Objectives

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, 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); the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders (YALI Fellowship); the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) Academic Fellows Program; Community College Initiative (CCI) Program ; and the Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Program.

## Funding by fiscal year

| Year | Amount | Awards |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | $45.9 million | 24 |
| 2022 | $56.4 million | 19 |
| 2023 | $57.4 million | 21 |
| 2024 | $59.8 million | 21 |
| 2025 | $10.1 million | 2 |

## Largest recipients

| Recipient | State | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| International Research and Exchanges Board Inc. | District of Columbia | $77.6 million |
| World Learning Inc. | Vermont | $41.3 million |
| American Councils for International Education: Actr/Accels, Inc. | District of Columbia | $39.4 million |
| Virginia Community College System Office | Virginia | $23.3 million |
| University of Montana | Montana | $14.3 million |
| Meridian International Center | District of Columbia | $10.0 million |
| Institute for Training and Development, Inc. | Massachusetts | $7.2 million |
| University of Kansas Center for Research Inc | Kansas | $5.0 million |
| University of Nebraska | Nebraska | $4.3 million |
| University of Connecticut Health Center | Connecticut | $4.2 million |
| Northern Nevada International Center | Nevada | $1.2 million |
| University of Alabama | Alabama | $1.2 million |
| University of Massachusetts Lowell | Massachusetts | $859,333 |
| University of Massachusetts | Massachusetts | $655,663 |
| Asociacion Centro Cultural Salvadoreno Americano |  | $139,624 |
| Miscellaneous Foreign Awardees |  | $2,242 |