Southwestern University has been selected by the Institute of International Education (IIE) to receive an IIE American Passport Project grant that will enable 25 Pell-eligible students to obtain their first U.S. passport, opening the pathway to study abroad. Southwestern was one of 40 IIENetwork member institutions across the nation to earn a grant, including one of just two in the state of Texas.
“Being selected for the IIE American Passport Project is an incredible honor and a major win for our students,” Director of Study Abroad Monya Lemery said. “By targeting students early in their college careers, we can help them realize that a global education is entirely within their reach. The grant is a first step in a journey that will shape their perspectives for a lifetime.”
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. The grants cover the cost of applying for a U.S. passport, a critical first step to studying abroad.
“Education and exchange drive innovation, diplomacy, and long-term stability by preparing leaders to navigate interconnected markets, emerging technologies, and global challenges,” IIE President and CEO Jason Czyz said. “IIE supports opportunities that allow participants to gain global perspective, build networks, and develop lasting skills. Obtaining a passport is an essential first step to pursuing these experiences.”
This fall, Southwestern’s Office of Study Abroad will award 25 students with grant funding to obtain their first U.S. passport. Priority will be given to first-year students, first-generation students, and students with no passport or international travel history. By removing the initial financial barrier associated with passport applications and prioritizing students early in their undergraduate experience, IIE and Southwestern are collectively working to expand participation in study abroad programs.
SU’s Office of Study Abroad is proud to offer accessible programs abroad for every student at Southwestern, with hundreds of programs available across 70+ countries. Study abroad experiences are available for every SU major and minor and include summer, semester, and academic year programs. Each year, the Office of Study Abroad awards over $250,000 in scholarship funds to students who pursue a semester or summer internationally.
“At Southwestern, we believe education abroad is a core component of Paideia,” Lemery said. “With programs available for every major and minor, education abroad encourages students to think in broader, more collaborative ways as they connect their coursework to real world, out-of-classroom experiences. They return to campus with a cultivated curiosity and an interdisciplinary mindset that prepares them well for the global job market.”
Now in its sixth year, the IIE American Passport Project has reached approximately 6,000 Pell-eligible students, including 1,000 in 2026 alone, bringing IIE closer to its goal of enabling 10,000 U.S. students to obtain their passports by 2030. To date, the program has issued more than 260 grants to higher education institutions in 42 states. IIE selects institutional recipients based in part on demonstrated efforts to prioritize student populations from low-income backgrounds, students who have not traveled abroad as an adult or in a learning environment, and students in their first year at the institution.
Southwestern University published this content on June 04, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on June 04, 2026 at 18:27 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]
