Shenandoah University was selected by the Institute of International Education (IIE) to receive an IIE American Passport Project grant that will enable up to 25 Shenandoah students to obtain their first U.S. passport, opening the pathway for those students to study abroad. IIE’s American Passport Project, which is in its fifth year, has awarded grants to 45 institutions in the IIENetwork in 2025, helping 1,275 Pell-eligible college students through this opportunity.
A key program under the IIE Center for International Opportunities, the IIE American Passport Project represents IIE’s commitment to promoting international education and exchange, so that all students can gain the academic and career benefits of international experiences. By removing the initial financial barrier associated with passport applications and prioritizing students early in their higher education experience, IIE and the institutions are collectively working to expand participation in study abroad on college campuses across the U.S. Through the IIE American Passport Project, IIE aims to grant 10,000 U.S. students their passports by the end of this decade.
The IIE American Passport Project aims to reach institutions that serve a variety of U.S. student populations that often may not participate in study abroad. To date, the program has issued grants to 220 higher education institutions in 40 states and the District of Columbia. In this fifth cohort, seven of the institutions are community colleges (the most awarded in a single year); two institutions have teamed up to maximize their effort; and one is a university educating “the deaf and signing community on a national and global scale.” IIE selected the institutional recipients based in part on demonstrated efforts to prioritize student populations from low-income backgrounds and students who have not traveled abroad as an adult or in a learning environment.
This grant will allow Shenandoah University to further expand its students’ access to its international academic programming. In addition to study abroad opportunities, Shenandoah provides international opportunities via its Global Experiential Learning Program, which offers students short-term, study-abroad experiences all over the world each academic year, and its Global Citizenship Project, which sends 50 students, faculty and staff on a fully-funded weeklong trip to one of five international destinations each spring.
Shenandoah University is committed to creating opportunities for intercultural engagement through programs like our flagship Global Citizenship Project. This grant from IIE will allow us to remove even more barriers to international travel and help broaden access to these life-changing experiences.”
Bethany Galipeau-Konate, D.Prof., Shenandoah’s executive director of global education
About The Institute of International Education
The Institute of International Education (IIE) is the leader in designing and implementing international education strategies and program services. IIE works with governments, policymakers, educators, and employers across the globe to prepare students and professionals for the global workforce and equip them to solve the increasingly complex challenges facing the interconnected world. With support from donors, IIE also creates initiatives that assist students, scholars, and artists whose lives and work are threatened; expands teaching and learning across cultures; and provides life-changing opportunities. A not-for-profit organization founded in 1919, IIE has a network of offices and affiliates worldwide and over 1,600 higher education partners.
In its work around the world, IIE’s global offices and experienced staff have developed significant expertise, capabilities and best practices in a set of core areas. Its cutting-edge approaches developed in these fields are formalized in a set of Centers of Excellence. The IIE Center for International Opportunities (CIO) aims to enrich and expand international education, exchange, and opportunity for all by providing expertise on education and skills development and leveraging thought leadership. Through dialogue and action and with a global lens, the center leverages programs and partnerships across multiple sectors and a range of institutions; cultivates global learning to support the engagement and understanding of individuals and communities; and expands educational opportunities for all to maximize student potential and employability.
The IIENetwork is IIE’s global membership association supporting the strategic advancement of international education. Through the IIENetwork, IIE shares decades of experience and expertise, generates resources, and leverages knowledge and practices with members who are working to strategize and actualize international education efforts, including building international and academic partnerships, recruiting international students, and advocating for study abroad and student mobility.
About Shenandoah University
Shenandoah University was established in 1875, and is headquartered at the top of Virginia, in Winchester, Virginia, with additional educational sites in Clarke and Loudoun counties, and online offerings. Shenandoah is a private, nationally recognized university that blends professional career experiences with wide-ranging education. With approximately 4,400 students in more than 200 areas of study in six different schools, Shenandoah promotes a close-knit community rich in creative energy and intellectual challenge. Shenandoah students collaborate with accomplished professors who provide focused, individual attention, all the while leading several programs to be highly nationally ranked. Through innovative partnerships and programs at both the local and global level, there are exceptional opportunities for students to learn in and out of the classroom. Shenandoah empowers its students to improve the human condition and to be principled professionals and leaders wherever they go. For more information, visit su.edu.
