Sponsors (2)
The bill would expand and prioritize federal support for study abroad—broadening access and boosting students' global and language skills—while creating meaningful taxpayer costs, institutional administrative and safety burdens, and potential equity/perception trade‑offs.
Underrepresented students (low‑income, first‑generation, community college, disabled, and students of color) would gain substantially expanded access to study abroad through prioritized grants and a national program aiming to increase participation.
U.S. students would develop stronger language, cross‑cultural, and global skills—improving educational and workforce prospects—by studying in both traditional and nontraditional/developing-country destinations supported by the program.
Colleges and universities would be encouraged and incentivized to invest more in international programs and curricula, strengthening campus internationalization and program quality.
Taxpayers would likely face increased federal spending because the bill authorizes open‑ended funding to expand grants and run a national program.
Colleges, universities, faculty, and staff would incur additional administrative, application, evaluation, and matching burdens to obtain grants, increasing institutional workload and potentially diverting resources.
Expanding study abroad into nontraditional and developing‑country destinations raises student health, safety, logistical, and diplomatic risks and could increase travel costs despite required safety plans.
Based on analysis of 4 sections of legislative text.
Creates a State Department competitive grant program to expand and diversify U.S. undergraduate study abroad and authorizes funding beginning FY2027.
Creates the Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Program at the Department of State to expand, diversify, and increase U.S. undergraduate participation in study abroad. The bill renames and builds on the existing IDEAS program (or its successor), directs the State Department to run a competitive grant program for colleges and consortia, prioritize underrepresented students and nontraditional/developing-country destinations, require annual reporting to Congress, and authorizes funding as necessary starting in FY2027. The program sets goals to reach at least 1,000,000 U.S. undergraduates studying abroad annually within 10 years and to align study abroad demographics with the overall undergraduate population; grant awards will use criteria such as institutional commitment, evaluation plans, sustainability, health and safety procedures, and may prioritize minority‑serving institutions and programs with strong language components.
Official title: Ensure that significantly more students graduate college with the international knowledge and experience essential for success in today's global economy through the establishment of the Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Program in the Department of State.
Introduced May 14, 2026 by Richard Joseph Durbin · Last progress May 14, 2026