Babson Awarded IIE Passport Grant to Enable More First-Gen Students to Study Abroad 

Babson College has been selected by the Institute of International Education (IIE) to receive an IIE American Passport Project grant that will enable up to 25 Babson students to obtain their first U.S. passport and open the pathway to study abroad.  

Babson will use the grant to extend education abroad opportunities to these additional Babson students. 

“We are excited to provide support to first-generation students embarking on their journey at Babson during the spring and fall semesters of 2024,” said Lorien Romito, senior director of International Education. “We will align our efforts of supporting students to get their first passport with informing them of Babson’s TARCO Global Learning Fund, an endowed fund to reduce barriers for students to study abroad.”

Babson’s Global Learning Fund grants, through philanthropic support from alumni, provide access to global experiential learning opportunities through service immersion programs. The goal of this Babson program and the goal of the American Passport Project grant is to transform individuals, communities, and society through an international education experience. 

Babson continually earns top rankings for its extensive international education programs. IIE ranked Babson No. 1 among similar specialty-focused institutions for the number of education abroad students during the 2021–2022 school year. Babson also ranked first for the number of education abroad students on mid-length duration programs in the 2021–2022. 

Babson, the longtime global leader in entrepreneurship education, also was ranked No. 22 for Best International MBA Program this week by U.S. News & World Report.  

Now, in its fourth year, IIE American Passport Project awarded grants to 51 institutions, the largest cohort to date. The Passport Project is a key program under the IIE Center for Access and Equity, and represents the center’s commitment to creating access to international education opportunities and enabling equity by removing a financial barrier, thereby increasing the diversity and inclusion of students studying abroad.  

The program prioritizes students early in their higher education experience to allow them ample time to go through the passport application and study abroad planning process with advising and support from the awarded institutions. Through the IIE American Passport Project, IIE aims to grant 10,000 U.S. students their passports by the end of this decade.  

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Tagged Global, Student Life

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