Student Diversity & Access
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We're proud that our student body is as diverse as the countries where they study abroad and intern.
From our Initiative to Diversify Education Abroad (IDEA) to our Diversity Scholarships & Financial Aid, we're making study abroad accessible to more students.
With 70 years of experience, we're here to help you find the best program for you, and to make studying abroad the educational adventure of a lifetime. Simply put, we provide you with the best identity-based resources in the field. Whether that's through our online country-specific diversity resources, articles on topics like Black hair care or nonbinary air travel, multimedia materials, or our personal one-on-on advising, we're here to support and encourage you throughout the study abroad experience. If you have any questions about your identity abroad, please contact our Diversity Department by emailing [email protected] or by calling
How will studying abroad redefine your world? We can't wait to find out.
Country-Specific Diversity Resources
Browse resources specific to various social identities and needs in a particular country on topics such as race, ethnicity, and national identity; gender and sexuality; religion and spirituality; disability and mental health; dietary concerns; and more!
Social Identity Resources
We recognize that identifying as part of a particular community, having specific health or dietary needs, or working through financial or social concerns before and while studying abroad can present unique challenges and opportunities in exploring a new culture. We support all of our students and have compiled resources to guide you in your next steps towards this incredible experience. Find more information on our resources for various identites, including LGBTQ+, First-Generation, Disability, Mental Health & Self-Care, and more.
IDEA Correspondents
Named for our Initiative to Diversify Education Abroad, IDEA Correspondents are students of underrepresented backgrounds and identities, in regards to race, ethnicity, sexual orientation/identity, gender identity/expression, non-traditional major, physical/mental health/learning ability, socio-economic status, and/or as first-generation in their family to attend college, who share how their identities intersect with their study abroad experience.
Diversity Scholarships
We are committed to fostering and supporting a diverse student body. Our Diversity Scholarships are part of our $6+ million of scholarships and aid, and encourage and support students from a range of institutions and under-represented populations.
Identity-Focused Videos & Webinars
In addition to our YouTube playlist, watch these recent videos and webinars and virtual events:
- Videos
- "Sparking Change At Home & Away: A Student & Teacher Talk Social Justice & Study Abroad"
- "Channeling Study Abroad as an Instrument for Social Justice and Equity in a Post-Pandemic World Video"
- "5 Incredible Student Videos About Diversity While Abroad"
- "Being Me Abroad: Traveling with Natural Hair"
- "Celebrating Worldwide #PRIDE"
- Student Voices
- "It Gets Better"
- Webinars & Virtual Events
Intercultural Competency Media List
Engage with contemporary intercultural issues with multimedia recommendations from our Diversity Relations Team and community. These recommendations encourage connection and conversations to promote better understanding of our individual stories and tribulations, focused on uplifting the collective human experience we highlight with study abroad.
Parent Resources
We know that families are an essential part of the journey when deciding to study or intern abroad. That's why we have a variety of resources for parents including parent guides in English, Spanish, and Chinese.
Sabemos que las familias son una parte esencial cuando deciden estudiar o realizar una prácticas en el extranjero. Es por eso que tenemos una variedad de recursos para familias, incluyendo guías especificamente para padres en español, inglés, y mandarín.
我们相信学生在决定出国留学或者海外实习的时候，家庭的支持是至关重要的。因此我们为家长提供大量相关信息，其中包括这本家长指南。这本指南有英文、中文及西班牙文版本。
Share a Resource
We know that there's a lot of helpful information out there, and although we try, we can't always capture it all! If you've found something to be helpful for you or your students in preparation for study abroad, let us know and we'll see if we can add it to our resources.
Noelle Baldwin
Associate Director for Diversity Recruiting & Advising
Quinn McMurtrey
Diversity Relations Manager
Initiative to Diversify Education Abroad (IDEA)
We launched our Initiative to Diversify Education Abroad (IDEA) to make studying abroad a learning experience accessible to all students, creating a student body that reflects the diversity of both the U.S. and our college student population. Though we know every student is unique and distinct in their own ways, the IDEA was designed to increase access to study and internship opportunities abroad for historically underrepresented students, who we define as someone who identifies as a racial/ethnic minority, first-generation college student, student with financial need, LGBTQ+, and/or is a student who has demonstrated a history of overcoming adversity such as a physical, mental health, or learning disability.
Through this Initiative, we have developed and expanded our financial and informational resources, collaborated with new partners who join us in our dedication to diversifying education abroad, and increased the enrollment of underrepresented students in our study and intern abroad programs.
We have also built a legacy of partnership with Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCUs) and Hispanic-serving Institutions (HSIs) spanning more than 50 years, which includes generations of graduates of these schools among our 120,000+ IES Abroad alumni.
In 2008, we launched our Initiative to Diversify Education Abroad: an innovative, sustained access and diversity effort that has inspired 17,000+ historically underrepresented students to study and intern around the world. Join us in celebrating this milestone and a #worldofdifference as we share the study abroad stories of underrepresented students.
