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 Request by NAFSA | FY 2025 Continuing Resolution* | FY 2024 Enacted |
| Title VI | $80 million | TBD | $75.4 million |
| Fulbright-Hays | $11 million | TBD | $10.3 million |
| Total International Education and Foreign Language Studies | $91 million | TBD | $85.7 million |
Note: The FY26 requested amount represents a 6 percent increase over the enacted FY24 amount to account for inflation
| Program | FY 2026 Request by NAFSA | FY2025 Continuing Resolution* | FY 2024 Enacted |
| Increase and Diversify Education Abroad for U.S. Students (IDEAS) | $5 million | TBD | $2-2.5 million |
| Total for Educational and Cultural Exchange Programs | $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 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.
- On March 15, President Trump signed into law a FY 2025 continuing resolution that funds the government until September 30 at FY 2024 levels.
- On December 21, 2024 the U.S. Congress avoided a government shutdown by passing a bipartisan temporary government funding bill, ensuring federal agencies remain funded at their current levels until March 14. The bill was subsequently signed into law by President Joe Biden. Adding to an already busy agenda at the start of the 119th Congress, lawmakers will need to revisit budget discussions before the March deadline to determine a longer-term solution for the remainder of fiscal 2025, which runs through September 30.
- On June 28, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 8771, the FY25 Department of State, Foreign Operations and Related Appropriations Act, which includes $720.9 million for funding of Education and Cultural Exchange Programs. Report language accompanying the bill specifies support for "continued funding of the IDEAS program."
- On July 25, the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee approved its version of the fiscal 2025 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act. The bill includes $761.1 million in funding for educational and exchange programs, a 2.7 percent increase over current funding. Accompanying report language also specifies a recommendation of $5 million (a $3 million increase compared to last year’s Senate request) for the Increase and Diversify Education Abroad for U.S. Students (IDEAS) program, which was one of the asks at NAFSA Advocacy Day 2024.
- On August 1, the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee approved the Labor, HHS, Education, and Related Agencies Act. The bill includes $85.7 million in funding for U.S. Education Department Title VI and Fulbright-Hays programs in fiscal 2025, which maintains the same level as fiscal 2024 funding and is 4.8 percent higher than the House's approved level.