Ensuring the Global Competency of U.S. College Graduates

Like the digital divide of a generation ago, today we face a growing "global" divide, between those who will have access to an international education and will be primed for success in our globalized world, and those who will not. The United States cannot remain globally competitive without a citizenry equipped with global skills and knowledge. Ensuring that many more American college students have access to study abroad as part of their academic preparation is vital to U.S. competitiveness and should be a national priority.

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Study abroad is a learning opportunity that enables students to develop critical skills needed to compete in today's global economy, including foreign language fluency, strong problem-solving and analytical capability, a tolerance for ambiguity, and cross-cultural competence. Recent studies show a positive correlation between students who study abroad and higher grade point averages, degree completion rates, and can accelerate career success. Study abroad contributes in vital ways to preparing students for the competitive global environment into which they will graduate and should be the norm, not the exception, across U.S. higher education. Yet, only 10 percent of U.S. college students study abroad before they graduate. In today’s global society, increasing access to study abroad will be critical to ensuring that students gain the skills, knowledge, and experiences necessary to maintain the leadership of the United States in tackling global challenges, like pandemics, and succeeding in a global economy.  

The Simon Program

The Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Program Act of 2026 (S. 4541) was introduced into the 119th Congress by U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and U.S. Representatives Brad Schneider (D-Ill.) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.).  The bill seeks to expand access to study abroad for U.S. college students by enhancing the State Department's Increase and Diversify Education Abroad for U.S. Students (IDEAS) program and formally renaming it as the "Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Program". Inspired by the vision of the late Sen. Paul Simon (D–Ill.) and the recommendations of the congressionally-appointed Commission on the Abraham Lincoln Study Abroad Fellowship Program, the legislation would advance four national goals:   

  1. One million U.S. college students will study abroad annually for credit
  2. Study abroad participants will more closely represent the demographics of the undergraduate population in terms of gender, ethnicity, students with disabilities, income level, and field of study
  3. A significantly greater proportion of study abroad will occur in nontraditional destinations outside Western Europe
  4. Higher education institutions will make study abroad a critical component of a quality higher education

U.S. higher education institutions could apply for federal grants, individually or in consortium, to help them institute programs that would move the country toward achievement of these objectives.  

Community Support

The following organizations support the Simon legislation:

  • Academic Programs International
  • American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admission Officers
  • American Association of Community Colleges
  • American Association of State Colleges and Universities
  • American Association of Teachers of French
  • American Association of Teachers of Italian
  • American Association of Teachers of Japanese
  • American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese
  • American Classical League
  • American Council on Education
  • American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages
  • American Councils for International Education
  • California Language Teachers' Association
  • CETRA Language Solutions
  • Connecticut Council of Language Teachers
  • Delaware Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages
  • Fluency Consulting LLC
  • Foreign Language Association of North Dakota
  • Foreign Language Association of Virginia
  • Fund for Education Abroad
  • German American Partnership Program
  • Global Seal of Biliteracy
  • Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities
  • IES Abroad
  • Illinois Association for College Admission Counseling
  • Illinois Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages
  • Indiana Foreign Language Teachers Association
  • Institute of International Education
  • Intercultural Student Experiences (DBA Xperitas)
  • International Association for Language Learning Technology
  • International Educators of Illinois
  • Joint National Committee for Languages
  • Kansas World Language Association
  • Kentucky World Language Association
  • Language Magazine
  • Linguistic Society of America
  • MARACAS / Learning Kaleidoscope
  • Model Language Association
  • NAFSA: Association of International Educators
  • National Association for College Admission Counseling
  • National Committee for Latin and Greek
  • National Council for Languages and International Studies
  • National Education Association
  • National Network for Early Language Learning
  • New Mexico Organization of Language Educators
  • New York State Association of Foreign Language Teachers
  • Pacific Northwest Council for Languages
  • Pennsylvania Council for International Education
  • Southern Conference on Language Teaching
  • TESOL International Association
  • The Alliance for International Exchange
  • The Coalition for a Multilingual Rhode Island
  • The Forum on Education Abroad
  • United Negro College Fund
  • West Virginia Foreign Language Teachers Association

If you wish to be added to this list of supporters, contact NAFSA Public Policy