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Title VI updates / FAQs
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Header image with the document title, Federal Fundign and Government Action Updates: FAQs for NRC, FLAS, and Fulbright

University of Michigan International Institute
Last updated September 11, 2025

What happened?

September 10: The U.S. Department of Education mailed out Notices of Non-Continuation of Grant Award letters to all NRC and FLAS units, writing, in part:

“Based upon the Department’s judgment that the purpose of and functions of the international and foreign language education grant programs are not a priority of the Administration, the Department exercised its authority to reprogram the funds to grant programs that are a priority for the Administration. This determination is further reflected in the Department’s FY 2026 Budget Request, which did not request funding for the programs noted in this decision, as being programs that “are inconsistent with Administration priorities and do not advance American interests or values.”

The letter provided a seven-day window to submit reconsideration requests, and the II is working with the U-M Office of Research and Sponsored Projects to do so.

August 19: Title VI funding is still held up at the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and has not yet been sent to the Department of Education (DoE) for disbursement to grantees as per the March 18 Continuing Resolution to maintain last year’s funding levels through September 30. It is unclear when or if OMB plans to release the funding, or whether the executive will hold back the funds until Congress passes a possible rescissions package affecting DoE programs.

August 18: As of this date, Grant Award Notifications have not been received for either NRC or FLAS for Grant Year 4 (August 15, 2025 to August 14, 2026). Unless and until we receive further guidance from the Department of Education, we are halting programmatic spending and fellowship payments. The International Institute continues to seek answers from the Department and will provide updates as they become available.

June 10: The Department of Education budget explanation for eliminating FY26 Title VI & Fulbright-Hays funding (p. 40) is as follows: "The Administration does not request funding for the Domestic or Overseas Programs for fiscal year 2026. These programs are inconsistent with Administration priorities and do not advance American interests or values. States, localities, and institutions of higher education, not the Federal government, are best suited to determine whether to support the activities authorized under this program or similar activities within their own budgets and without unnecessary administrative burden imposed by the Federal government.”

In the White House version of the FY26 federal budget, page 250 indicates that TVI & FH funding for FY 2025 was eliminated as well.  

May 9: The Department of Education withdraws the notice inviting applications for fiscal year 2025 for the Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad (GPA) Program, Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad (DDRA) Program, and the Faculty Research Abroad (FRA) Fellowship Program.

This affects NIAs published in the Federal Register on October 25, 2024 (89 FR 85176)—GPA, October 20, 2024 (89 FR 86323)—DDRA, and January 8, 2025 (90 FR 1469)—FRA.

For further information, contact:
Stacey Slijepcevic, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20202-5076. Telephone: (202) 453-6150. Email: stacey.slijepcevic@ed.gov.

Additional information is available in the Department of Education's notice published in the Federal Register.

April 10: The functions of International and Foreign Language Education (IFLE) have been assumed by staff within the Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE) and the Office of Higher Education Programs (HEP). The new contacts are listed below:

Assistance Listing Number (ALN): 84.015A, National Resource Centers
Catherine St. Clair (Catherine.StClair@ed.gov)

ALN: 84.015B, Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowships
Lauren Kennedy (Lauren.Kennedy@ed.gov)

Program contact email: NRC-FLAS@ed.gov

Given the reassignment of ED program officers, summer international programs for FLAS are starting to be approved again as of April 10.

March 20: President Trump signed an Executive Order directing the Secretary of Education to "take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education and return education authority to the States, while continuing to ensure the effective and uninterrupted delivery of services, programs, and benefits on which Americans rely. Eliminating USED in its entirety would require action from Congress.

March 14: James Bergeron, Acting Under Secretary of USDE, released a letter with the following information: "The functions of IFLE will be assumed by the qualified Office of Higher Education (HEP) staff."

March 13: As of this date, some staff at the Institute of International Education (IIE) who administer programs on behalf of the Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, including Fulbright Programs, were furloughed.

March 12: IFLE staff were unable to enter the workplace or send messages to any external emails.

March 11: Government employees at the International and Foreign Language Education Office (IFLE) in the US Department of Education (USDE) were notified that the unit and all associated positions would be abolished. IFLE administers Title VI awards to universities, including the University of Michigan.

What is Title VI and what does it fund?

Title VI refers to the section of the National Defense Education Act of 1958 that established a set of academic and fellowship programs. These programs were inaugurated in response to the launch of Sputnik by the Soviet Union in 1957 and the U.S. government’s recognition that greater capacity in foreign languages and area studies was needed. Subsequently incorporated into the Higher Education Act and administered by the U.S. Department of Education, Title VI programs have been expanded over the past 50 years to address not only national security needs but also concerns related to global competitiveness and a more internationally competent citizenry. This program strives to develop the nation’s capacity in international studies, area studies, foreign languages, and international business education.

How does this affect the International Institute?

As a unit in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts (LSA), the II relies for the continuity of its operations on a variety of funding sources, including the College, gift funds, and federal grants. The shuttering of IFLE affects only the latter, though this is potentially significant for the II.

The II has worked with IFLE to administer Title VI funding for National Resource Centers, FLAS fellowships, and certain Fulbright fellowships. We have relied on our contacts and program officers at IFLE for information, approvals, expenditures, fellowship processing, and grant administration. At present, we have no access to any of these vital functions. We are hoping they will be reinstated or reassigned to other agencies in government, but for the time being, we are monitoring the situation. We will update this space with any new information we receive.

Who else at U-M is affected?

We’re working with our partners across the university to ascertain the consequences of IFLE closing for students, faculty, and staff. We are concerned about the continuity of employment, instruction, and research (including research and language study abroad under FLAS and/or Fulbright). We join LSA in reaffirming our commitment to put people first, to maintain Michigan’s excellence in research and education, and to care for ALL members of our community.

What is the timeline?

Notification to IFLE officers from the DoE indicated that IFLE would be able to engage in “transition activities” until March 21. At present, we do not know what happens after March 21.

What does this mean for Title VI?

Even though IFLE has been closed, the elimination of Congressionally mandated Title VI and Fulbright-Hays would be an illegal act and there will be court battles if the Trump administration attempts this course of action. 20 states have already sued the Trump administration for effectively dismantling the DoE by laying off half of the staff, so we should expect a number of legal challenges going forward.

What does this mean for FLAS Fellowships?

Funding for the current grant year has already been approved by Congress and is being delivered. Funding for programs beginning August 15, 2025 is pending Congressional approval.

What does this mean for Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad (DDRA)  and Faculty Research Abroad (FRA)?

Current grantees should continue their work as scheduled. IFLE has administered these Fulbright-Hays awards. With IFLE closed, the review and processing of new grants is currently stalled until and unless it is reassigned to a different government office. Applicants in the current cycle (for 2025-26 Academic Year awards) should expect notification delays.

What centers at the University of Michigan International Institute receive funding from the U.S. Department of Education?

The International Institute is home to six National Resource Centers (NRCs). These prestigious designations, earned in national peer-reviewed competitions, are awarded by the DoE Title VI program. This program strives to develop the nation’s capacity in international studies, area studies, foreign languages, and international business education. [Title VI Awards at the University of Michigan at-a-glance]

National Resource Centers

Six centers hold grants for Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships. These centers administer annual competitions to award undergraduate and graduate-level fellowships to support the study of foreign languages and area studies.

FLAS-Granting Centers

How will this impact NRCs at the University of Michigan International Institute?

Currently, we are proceeding as normal, spending grants that have been appropriated through August 2025. This is year 3 of a 4-year funding cycle. If NRC funding is not renewed, there will be a big impact to these centers, which depend in varying degrees on Title VI to fund events, outreach, staffing, partnerships, and language instruction.

What can I do to advocate for continued funding of these programs?