About

1947 - The Beginning

The Executive Committee on Student Travel forms to foster student and teacher travel. Logistics management and orientation for student exchange programs to Europe begins.

1967 - Becoming CIEE

Name change from Council on Student Travel to Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE); begin to focus on academic programming. The first CIEE Study Center opens in Leningrad.

1969 - Introducing Summer Work Travel

CIEE is designated by the State Department as the first sponsor of the J-1 Summer Work Travel program; the CIEE Work & Travel USA program is created.

1984 - Expanding J-1 Visa Opportunities

At CIEE’s suggestion, the State Department creates a new J-1 visa category, J-1 Trainee, for university students to travel to the U.S. for internships.

2003 - Hello from Portland, Maine

U.S. headquarters moves from New York, New York, to Portland, Maine.

2015 - Reinventing Study Abroad

CIEE reinvents the study abroad model with the launch of its first Global Institute in Berlin. Global Institutes locations follow in London, Paris, and Rome. 

2017 - Seven Decades of Bringing the World Together

CIEE celebrates 70 years of transforming lives through meaningful exchange.

View CIEE’s Full History