FY 2018 Survey of International Educational Exchange Activity in the United States | ECA ECAAS 18 002

Opportunity Information: Apply for ECA ECAAS 18 002

The FY 2018 Survey of International Educational Exchange Activity in the United States is a U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) grant opportunity to support a nationwide data collection effort on international education and academic mobility. Run through ECA's Educational Information and Resources Branch (ECA/A/S/A) within the Office of Global Educational Programs, the project is designed to produce a reliable, up-to-date picture of international educational exchange involving the United States. The underlying policy purpose is tied to ECA's mandate under the Fulbright-Hays Act: strengthening mutual understanding by tracking and analyzing cross-border educational exchange activity so the U.S. government and the higher education community can better understand trends, needs, and outcomes.

The core work involves administering a series of sequential surveys to accredited U.S. colleges and universities, developed and implemented in consultation with ECA. The surveys focus on four main sectors: foreign students studying in the United States, foreign scholars in the United States, U.S. students studying overseas (including both credit-bearing and non-credit-bearing programs), and foreign enrollees in intensive English language programs in the United States. Beyond national totals, the project also explicitly calls for collecting data on the number of foreign students enrolled at minority-serving institutions, signaling an interest in how international enrollment intersects with institutional type and access-serving missions. The expectation is that the recipient will not only collect the data but also ensure it is accurate, consistent, and usable for analysis and reporting.

A major element of the opportunity is that it is not limited to U.S.-based counts. To provide context and a comparison point for U.S.-focused exchange activity, the recipient is expected to gather information on global student mobility by working with foreign government agencies, international data sources, and academic mobility researchers worldwide. The intent is to produce comprehensive and timely information that helps interpret U.S. inbound and outbound patterns against broader global trends, rather than treating U.S. activity in isolation.

Another required component is close coordination, under ECA guidance, with the Department of State's EducationUSA network, which promotes U.S. higher education overseas and operates through advising centers hosted in settings such as U.S. embassies and consulates, Fulbright commissions, binational centers, non-governmental organizations, universities, and libraries. This coordination includes verifying and sharing key enrollment data, such as the number of students at U.S. institutions broken down by state, academic level, and field of study, with EducationUSA Program Officers, Regional Educational Advising Coordinators (REACs), and EducationUSA advising centers. The work also includes gathering information on foreign student perceptions of study abroad, reflecting an interest not just in quantitative flows but also in how students view and experience international study opportunities.

From an administrative standpoint, this is a discretionary award using a cooperative agreement, meaning the recipient should expect substantial involvement from ECA in shaping or guiding the work rather than operating fully independently. The opportunity number is ECA/ECAAS-18-002, and the CFDA number listed is 19.432. Eligible applicants include public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, and U.S. nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status (as well as certain other eligible entities as specified in the full announcement). The award ceiling is $500,000, with the original closing date shown as June 22, 2017, and the posting created on April 25, 2017. Overall, the grant supports an organized, methodical national survey and reporting effort that connects institutional data collection in the U.S. with international comparative mobility data and coordinated validation and dissemination through EducationUSA.

• The Bureau Of Educational and Cultural Affairs in the other sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY 2018 Survey of International Educational Exchange Activity in the United States" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 19.432.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2017-04-25.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2017-06-22. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $500,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, Others.

Apply for ECA ECAAS 18 002

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