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The United States must increase its efforts to attract and retain the world’s best and brightest and ensure domestic students have access to opportunities that keep them competitive and equipped to collaborate across borders. A coordinated federal commitment to international education will ensure the United States has the talent pool necessary to innovate and engage with the world.

International experiences like study abroad help students succeed in their careers and collectively contribute to a more innovative, secure, and prosperous United States. Yet only 10 percent of U.S. college students study abroad before they graduate. The bipartisan Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Program Act promises to be a game-changer in terms of expanding access to the critical skills that study abroad experiences provide. Urge your elected officials to cosponsor the bill.

Attracting the best and the brightest students from around the world contributes immeasurably to U.S. preeminence in academic research and scientific innovation. However, trends indicate our country is losing this valuable resource as other countries implement more welcoming policies. Urge your lawmakers to support immigration law changes to enable the U.S. to compete for global talent.

Urge your lawmakers' support for robust funding of international education and exchange programs as part of FY2024 appropriations, specifically $855 million for the State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and $173.6 million for the Education Department’s Title VI and Fulbright-Hays programs. This funding would help the U.S. recruit global talent and create more opportunities for U.S. students to gain a global education.