IES Abroad Launches $20 Million Initiative to Make Study Abroad More Accessible: What Indian Students Need to Know

On May 11, 2026, IES Abroad announced the launch of OpportunitIES in Motion, a five-year, $20 million fundraising initiative designed to expand study abroad access by increasing scholarship funding and reducing financial barriers for students with demonstrated financial need.

IES Abroad is one of the largest and most established study abroad organizations in the world, having sent over 200,000 students to international programs across 80+ destinations since its founding in 1950. It operates through a consortium of 270+ US universities and has awarded nearly 45,000 scholarships overall. In 2025-26, it allocated a record $7.9 million in financial aid. The $20 million initiative builds directly on that history.

The OpportunitIES in Motion Initiative: What Was Announced

OpportunitIES in Motion is a five-year fundraising campaign with three stated goals: expand scholarship funding, reduce financial barriers for students with demonstrated need, and drive program innovation across IES Abroad's global network.

What the initiative includes:

• A $2 million commitment over five years from Richard Landers, an IES Abroad Vienna alumnus, specifically supporting scholarships and academic innovation, including the Global Pillars courses and the annual Global Institute.
• A gift honoring the legacy of Charles E. Merrill, an educator and civil rights activist who founded the Merrill Scholars program in the 1950s, a merit scholarship that provided full-year study abroad scholarships to hundreds of HBCU students from the 1950s through the 1980s.
• Community-wide support from alumni, institutional partners, and donors committed to global education.
• This gift builds on IES Abroad's fifth annual Giving Day, which raised $384,453 from 265 gifts and 231 donors.

Gregory D. Hess, PhD, CEO and President of IES Abroad, said at the announcement: "Study abroad has the power to transform lives; we have seen it time and again across more than 200,000 IES Abroad alumni. If we want more students to have that experience, initiatives like OpportunitIES in Motion are essential."

The Funding Model Powering This Initiative

The initiative is backed by IES Abroad's High-Impact Aid Commitment, a financial aid model introduced in 2024 specifically to double access to study abroad for underrepresented and Pell-eligible students.

How the model works:

• Financial aid is awarded based on demonstrated financial need, not merit alone.
• Award amounts are transparent and consistent. No negotiation required.
• The pilot began in Spring 2024 with 12 Consortium Member institutions, including two Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
• By Spring 2025, the model was rolled out across all 270+ Consortium Member schools.
• The aid application is now open for eligible students at iesabroad.org/scholarships-aid.

This model represents a shift from the conventional merit-first scholarship approach toward need-first accessibility. For students who have the academic profile to study abroad but not the financial means, it is a meaningful structural change.

What IES Abroad Actually Runs Across the World

Programs and locations:

• Over 140 study abroad programs across 30+ destinations in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, and Oceania.
• Global Pillars courses at nearly 20 locations across Africa, Asia, Europe, and South America, covering sustainable living, equitable systems, and global citizenship.
• Academic programs ranging from semester and full-year to summer formats.
• Internship, language immersion, and research-based tracks available at select locations.

Popular destinations:

• Europe: Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Dublin, Florence, London, Madrid, Paris, Prague, Rome, Vienna.
• Asia and the rest of the world: Beijing, Buenos Aires, Cape Town, Santiago, and Tokyo.
• Emerging destinations: Morocco, Ghana, Tanzania, and New Zealand.

Financial aid currently available:

• $7.9 million in 2025-26 in scholarships and aid.
• Diversity scholarships and grants for students from traditionally underrepresented communities.
• Need-based and merit-based awards are both available.
• Award amounts determined through the High-Impact Aid Commitment funding model.

How Indian Students Fit Into This

India sends more students abroad for higher education than almost any other country. But IES Abroad's programs are primarily designed for US university students studying abroad for a semester or year as part of their US degree, not for Indian students applying directly from India. This distinction matters.

The direct relevance:

• If you are an Indian student currently enrolled at a US university, this initiative directly increases your access to IES Abroad programs and scholarship funding.
• If you are planning to study for your undergraduate or master's degree at a US university, the 270+ Consortium Member schools that partner with IES Abroad form a significant part of the US university landscape. Understanding IES Abroad's funding model is relevant to your planning.
• If you are a parent or student evaluating study abroad organizations for US-based programs, the $20 million commitment signals financial stability and long-term program expansion across a network that has been operating since 1950.

The broader signal worth tracking: The OpportunitIES in Motion initiative is part of a broader global shift in how study abroad organizations are responding to declining participation driven by cost. IES Abroad's decision to anchor a five-year campaign around need-based access rather than merit reflects a clear recognition: financial barriers, not academic ones, are the primary reason students do not study abroad.

This shift in how a major study abroad provider structures its funding model is worth watching closely for Indian students and families who face similar financial considerations when evaluating international education.

How to Apply for IES Abroad Scholarships and Aid

Current funding available:

• IES Abroad Scholarships: Need-based and diversity awards for students at Consortium Member schools.
• High-Impact Aid Commitment: For students with demonstrated financial need at any of the 270+ partner institutions.
• Diversity Scholarships: For students from traditionally underrepresented communities in study abroad.

Eligibility:

• Must be enrolled at an IES Abroad Consortium Member school.
• Financial need is assessed through the standard FAFSA process for US-enrolled students.
• Diversity scholarships have additional eligibility criteria based on identity, background, and community representation.

Apply at: iesabroad.org/scholarships-aid

Timeline:

• Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis per program and semester.
• Apply at least one semester before your planned departure date.
• The OpportunitIES in Motion campaign will increase available funding progressively over the five-year window through to 2031.

Where the $20 Million Goes Over Five Years

IES Abroad has not published a year-by-year breakdown of the $20 million allocation as of June 2026. What is confirmed:

• The Richard Landers commitment of $2 million over five years is the first named anchor gift.
• Additional gifts honoring the Merrill Scholars legacy will target HBCU and underrepresented student access specifically.
• The full $20 million target is a community-wide effort, not a single institutional endowment, and will grow as alumni, institutional partners, and donors contribute through the campaign window.
• The initiative aims to build on IES Abroad's existing $7.9 million annual aid allocation, not replace it.

For students applying over the next five years, progressively more funding will be available in each cycle as the campaign builds momentum.

Book a free session with a Leap Scholar counselor to understand whether IES Abroad programs are relevant to your specific study path, how to evaluate study abroad providers when planning a US university application, and what funding options are available for Indian students at every stage of the international education journey.

Sources: PR Newswire — IES Abroad Launches Multi-Million Dollar Initiative, May 11, 2026 | | IES Abroad Official — Scholarships and Aid | IES Abroad Official — High-Impact Aid Commitment, February 2024 | | IES Abroad Official — Homepage