NAFSA advocates for federal funding of international education and exchange programs, which is needed to preserve and protect critical international education activities at U.S. colleges and universities.
Fiscal Year 2026 International Education Appropriations Request
FY2026 begins October 1, 2025, and ends September 30, 2026
| Program | FY 2026 President Trump Budget Request | FY 2026 Request by NAFSA | FY 2025 Continuing Resolution* | FY 2024 Enacted |
| Title VI | $0 | $80 million | TBD | $75.4 million |
| Fulbright-Hays | $0 | $11 million | TBD | $10.3 million |
| Total International Education and Foreign Language Studies | $0 | $91 million | TBD | $85.7 million |
Note: The FY26 NAFSA requested amount represents a 6 percent increase over the enacted FY24 amount to account for inflation
| Program | FY 2026 President Trump Budget Request | FY 2026 Request by NAFSA | FY2025 Continuing Resolution* | FY 2024 Enacted |
| Increase and Diversify Education Abroad for U.S. Students (IDEAS) | $0 | $5 million | TBD | $2-2.5 million |
| Total for Educational and Cultural Exchange Programs | $50 million | $741 million | $741 million | $741 million |
*Note: The Continuing Resolution did not specify dollar amounts for programmatic items passed for funding at the FY24 funding level
- On May 30, the full president’s budget request for FY2026 was released, confirming a 93 percent cut to the State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (home to Fulbright, Gilman, the IDEAS program, and the Critical Language Scholarship Program). The full request also zeros out the international education programs at the Department of Education, namely the Title VI and Fulbright-Hays programs. The White House documents also show FY2025 funding for these programs zeroed out as well.
- On May 23, Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) and Todd Young (R-Ind.), along with 20 senators, requested robust funding for Title VI and Fulbright-Hays programs from the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Subcommittee for FY 2026.
- On May 22, Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and 34 senators urged the State and Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee to maintain $741 million for the State Department’s educational and cultural programs in FY 2026.
- On May 16, nearly 100 representatives joined Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.) in a letter to the leaders of the House's National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs Appropriations Subcommittee, voicing support for funding for State Department Educational and Cultural Exchange programs at fiscal 2025 levels ($741 million).
- On May 9, the Department of Education announced it is withdrawing the FY2025 application for the Fulbright-Hays program, which provides current and prospective educators with the global perspectives their students need, effectively grinding this 60-year old program to a halt.
- On May 2, President Trump released his FY 2026 "skinny" budget proposal that cuts funding for State Department exchange programs by 93 percent, or by $691 million. No mention of Education Department Title VI and Fulbright-Hays programs, however. The administration is expected to release a fuller, more detailed budget proposal in the coming weeks.