{{Short description|Nonprofit study abroad organization}} {{Multiple issues|section=| {{Primary sources|date=April 2026}} {{Undisclosed paid|date=April 2026}} }} {{Infobox company | name = Council on International Educational Exchange | native_name = CIEE | type = Nonprofit organization | founded = {{Start date and age|1947|paren=yes}} | headquarters = Portland, Maine, U.S. | website = {{Official website}} }}
The '''Council on International Educational Exchange''' ('''CIEE''') is a 501(c)(3)<ref name="Chairty Navigator">{{cite web |title=CIEE, Inc. |url=https://www.charitynavigator.org/ein/134038907 |website=Chairty Navigator |publisher=Chairty Navigator}}</ref> non-profit organization headquartered in Portland, Maine, that operates programs worldwide and focuses on promoting cross‑cultural understanding through international education initiatives.
According to their mission statement, CIEE’s programs are designed to help people gain understanding, acquire knowledge, and develop skills for living in a globally interdependent and culturally diverse world.<ref>{{cite web |title=Our Mission |url=https://www.ciee.org/about/what-we-do/our-mission |website=CIEE |publisher=CIEE}}</ref>
==History== CIEE was founded in 1947 in the aftermath of World War II<ref>{{cite web |title=Council on International Educational Exchange Inc. |url=https://www.encyclopedia.com/books/politics-and-business-magazines/council-international-educational-exchange-inc |website=Encyclopedia.com |publisher=Encyclopedia.com |ref=International Directory of Company Histories}}</ref> as the '''Council on Student Travel (CST)''', a consortium of educational and cultural organizations working to restore international educational exchange programs that had been suspended during the war.<ref name=":0">{{cite news |last1=Carlson |first1=Jerry S. |title=Study Abroad: The Experience of American Undergraduates in Western Europe and the United States |work=Occasional Papers on International Educational Exchange Research Series |agency= |volume=28 |publisher=Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE) |date=October 1991|url=https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED340322.pdf}}</ref> Early initiatives focused on facilitating student travel to Europe, including the Student Ship Project, which used converted troopships to transport students and educators across the Atlantic and provide shipboard cultural orientation programs.<ref name=":0" />
In 1951, CST merged with the Council on Correlation of International Educational Enterprises and established offices in New York City<ref name="Hoffa1993">{{cite book |last1=Hoffa |first1=William |title=NAFSA’s Guide to Education Abroad for Advisers and Administrators (ed., et al.) |date=1993 |publisher=NAFSA: Association of International Educators}}</ref>. During the 1950s the organization expanded its activities from transportation logistics into broader educational programming, including orientation programs, academic exchange initiatives, and support for international students traveling to and from the United States.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Complete History of Study Abroad |url=https://www.gooverseas.com/blog/history-study-abroad |website=Go Overseas |publisher=Go Overseas}}</ref>
In 1967 the organization adopted the name Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE) to reflect its focus on international education.<ref>{{cite web |title=About CIEE |url=https://www.ciee.org/about |website=CIEE |publisher=CIEE}}</ref>
CIEE launched its Summer Work Travel program in 1969 after being designated by the U.S. Department of State as the first sponsor of the J-1 Summer Work Travel visa category. The program, now known as CIEE BridgeUSA Summer Work Travel, enables university students from around the world to live and work in the United States during their academic breaks.<ref name=":2">{{cite web |title=CIEE Corporate Brochure |url=https://issuu.com/cieeorg/docs/ciee-corporate_brochure-full |website=issuu |publisher=Bending Spoons US Inc.}}</ref>
In 1984, following recommendations from CIEE, the U.S. Department of State created the J-1 Trainee visa category, allowing university students and recent graduates to participate in internship and training programs in the United States.<ref>{{cite web |title=Trainee |url=https://j1visa.state.gov/programs/trainee |website=BridgeUSA |publisher=U.S. Department of State}}</ref>
CIEE relocated its U.S. headquarters from New York City to Portland, Maine, in 2003. In 2015 the organization launched the first Open Campus Block Program in Berlin, a flexible study abroad model that was later expanded to cities including London, Paris, and Rome.
==Programs & Services== CIEE administers a diverse range of international education and cultural exchange programs for secondary school students, university students, and young professionals. Each year, approximately 50,000 participants take part in CIEE programs, including international students and professionals who travel to the United States and American participants who study, work, or travel abroad.<ref name=":2" />
The organization operates college study abroad programs and high school exchange programs in cities across Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas.<ref>{{cite web |title=Study Abroad Locations |url=https://www.ciee.org/go-abroad/college-study-abroad/locations |website=CIEE |publisher=CIEE}}</ref> These programs are hosted at partner universities and CIEE study centers and may include semester, summer, and short-term academic experiences designed to support cultural immersion and global learning.
CIEE also administers programs under the U.S. Department of State’s J-1 visa cultural exchange framework, including Summer Work Travel, internship, trainee, camp counselor, and teacher exchange programs. Through its BridgeUSA Summer Work Travel program, the organization places international participants in seasonal employment in the United States while engaging in cultural exchange activities.1<ref>{{cite web |title=Work & Travel USA |url=https://www.ciee.org/in-the-usa/work/work-travel-usa |website=CIEE |publisher=CIEE}}</ref>
==Governance== CIEE is governed by a board of directors composed of leaders from higher education, international education, and related fields. The board provides oversight of the organization’s strategy, programs, and finances.
The organization also maintains an International Program Advisory Council (IPAC), established in 2023. The Council consists of international education administrators and faculty from partner universities who advise CIEE leadership on study abroad program quality, program development, and emerging trends in international education.<ref>{{cite web |title=Board of Directors |url=https://www.ciee.org/about/we-are-ciee/board-directors |website=CIEE |publisher=CIEE}}</ref>
==Global Presence== CIEE operates study centers and program locations in more than 45 cities in over 30 countries, including locations such as London, Berlin, Rome, Barcelona, Prague, Cape Town, Singapore, Shanghai, Tokyo, Sydney, and Buenos Aires. <ref>{{cite web |title=Study Abroad Programs |url=https://www.ciee.org/go-abroad/college-study-abroad/programs |website=CIEE |publisher=CIEE}}</ref> These locations support academic coursework, student services, and cultural programming for participants in CIEE study abroad and exchange programs. Programs are delivered through partnerships with local universities and institutions as well as through CIEE-operated study centers.
The organization’s global operations are coordinated from its U.S. headquarters in Portland, Maine, along with regional offices and program staff in host countries. == See also == * NAFSA: Association of International Educators * Institute of International Education * AFS Intercultural Programs * Fulbright Program * J-1 visa * International student
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *[https://www.ciee.org CIEE Home Page] *[https://www.ciee.org/go-abroad/college-study-abroad CIEE College Study Abroad Programs] *[https://www.ciee.org/go-abroad/high-school-study-abroad CIEE High School Study Abroad Programs] *[https://www.ciee.org/go-abroad/work/teach-english-abroad CIEE Teach English Abroad Programs] *[https://www.ciee.org/go-abroad/high-school-graduates CIEE Gap & First Year Abroad Programs] *[https://www.ciee.org/go-abroad/work CIEE Work Abroad] *[https://www.ciee.org/go-abroad/for-educators CIEE Educator Programs]
{{Authority control}}
Category:Educational organizations established in 1947 Category:Educational organizations based in Maine Category:Organizations based in Portland, Maine Category:1947 establishments in New York City