Despite concerns over terrorism, the number of American students attracted to pursuing undergraduate or advanced degrees outside the U.S. appears to be holding steady, and many believe that it will increase due to renewed interest in international affairs. Many who study abroad depend on the U.S. government to underwrite their financial aid – usually in the form of guaranteed loans – to pay for their studies. IEC is dedicated to ensuring that Americans receive the aid they need to study at the institution of their choice.

Student loans guaranteed by the U.S. government have become an ever-more important source of financing to help Americans pay for study abroad. Because these loans are government-backed, there are numerous, complex U.S. laws and even more numerous regulations governing the use of the loans. There is also a constant flow of formal and informal policies that come from the U.S. Department of Education, which administers the student loan programs. These policies come in the form of letters, speeches by officials to groups and internal decisions that are sometimes not published in any form.