The Role of Exchanges
International exchange programs connect an ever-widening circle of Americans with their counterparts around the world. Exchange programs create opportunities: opportunities for participants to learn, to prosper, and to work with others to solve shared problems and ensure a secure future. Exchanges create future leaders who instinctively appreciate the value of international collaboration, understanding, and empathy.
The United States faces economic uncertainty and ongoing threats to national security. Meeting these challenges requires smart power strategies that rebuild strong international partnerships. By enabling student, teacher, scholar, and citizen participants to experience American communities and citizens firsthand—and by allowing Americans to experience foreign communities and citizens in the same way—exchanges are a critical support to official U.S. diplomacy and an essential part of building international relationships for the future.
Exchanges Drive America’s Economy
An investment in international exchanges is an investment in the U.S. economy.
– International students contribute $43.8 billion to the U.S. economy and support more than 378,000 American jobs.
– BridgeUSA exchange participants traveling to the U.S. contributed at least $811.2 million to the U.S. economy and paid $277 million in federal taxes to the U.S. in 2023.
– Roughly 90 percent of U.S. Department of State exchange program dollars is spent on Americans or in America.
Exchanges Create Future Leaders
International exchanges build American leaders to be successful on the world stage.
– Many jobs in today’s market require skills that can be gained studying abroad. In 2019, more than 31 million job openings required skills, including communication, leadership, and problem solving, that a student gains while studying abroad.
– Studying and traveling abroad helps to build careers, and young people know it. Nearly 9 out of 10 youth surveyed say they believe youth and travel experiences increase employability.
– Political leaders on both sides of the aisle recognize the benefits of international exchange in preparing young Americans to be leaders on the global stage, including Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS), who said in July 2023 that, “Study abroad is a valuable experience for many American college students who hope to become our country’s future leaders.”
Exchanges Advance American Interests
International exchanges create political and business networks around the world – networks that cement diplomatic relationships, strengthen national security, and bolster the economy.
– People-to-people exchanges allow us to build networks with political, business, and civil society leaders from more than 110 countries and territories.
– Having friends around the world strengthens U.S. national security in times of peace and crisis. Notable exchange alumni include 721 current and former heads of foreign governments, 87 Nobel Prize winners, 75 current and former representatives to the United Nations, and 39 current and former heads of international organizations.
– Well over 1,000,000 international students studied at U.S. universities and colleges in 2023-24, enriching and filling our classrooms, creating relationships with future business and political leaders, and advancing our foreign policy goals.
Exchanges Tell America’s Story
Exchange programs provide perspective into many different aspects of the lived American experience, building familiarity, kinship and trust.
– Exchanges are global programs with a significant local impact. Exchange participants experience and impact every piece of American community life: schools, families, workplaces and businesses, government, and more. All 50 states host exchange participants, all of whom support the local economy during their stay.
– Communities celebrate exchanges. Four out of five Americans feel international exchange programs enhance the image of their community as a good place to live.
– More than 1.3 million student and professional participants are immersed in American society and culture every year. Over 1 million study in U.S. colleges and universities, and over 350,000 participate in Department of State exchanges.