The History of CIEE

CIEE is the leading U.S. non-governmental international education organization. CIEE creates and administers programs that allow high school and university students and educators to study and teach abroad.

Into the chilly postwar world of 1947, CIEE launched the next generation of study abroad programs, the first since they'd been suspended during World War II. Senators and scholars worried about how to increase international understanding and establish trust between nations. As soon as there was enough capacity aboard trans-Atlantic ships to carry students, CIEE programs began teaching. Since 1947, the Council on International Educational Exchange, known as CIEE and formerly, Council, has been in pursuit of its mission, "to help people gain understanding, acquire knowledge, and develop skills for living in a globally interdependent and culturally diverse world." Our services to young people studying and teaching abroad are more important than ever.

Today, CIEE is composed of two interrelated but operationally independent entities based in Portland, Maine and Tokyo, Japan. Among many activities, CIEE administers 95 study abroad programs in over 33 host countries and teaching programs in Chile, China, Spain, and Thailand. Educators can participate in 26 summer seminars in 29 countries.

For further information on CIEE, please visit our main site.