IEC is in contact with the U.S. Congress, the U.S. Department of Education and other agencies of the Executive Branch to monitor how laws and regulations affect institutions that host U.S. students studying abroad. IEC acts as a representative of its members—international institutions of higher education—in Washington, D.C., providing advice to its members and bringing issues to the attention of the U.S. Government.

The chief law governing financial aid for U.S. students is the Higher Education Act, first passed by Congress in 1965. Regulations published by the Department of Education interpret the law and attempt to clarify the intent of the Congress. The regulations are fairly specific, but are still subject to further interpretation by the individuals charged with directly enforcing them. Those individuals are a combination of career civil servants, some of whom have worked in the Department for decades, and political appointees, who may work at the agency for as little as a year.

Read what US Department of Education officials and IEC Executive Director Harrison Wadsworth had to say about the latest developments in Washington, DC at the IEC 2005 Annual Conference, held June 3rd in Seattle, Washington.