In 2012, the Institute of International Education (IIE), in collaboration with Jusoor and the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT), announced a commitment to action at the annual meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative that included providing emergency grants to students whose education had been interrupted by the crisis, and to scholars whose lives were threatened in Syria.

This commitment materialized in 2013 as the IIE Syria Consortium, with the U.S. Department of State, Portugal-led Global Platform for Syrian Students and Kaplan Test Prep International joining as partners to expand the Consortium worldwide. With funding from partners including the U.S. Department of State, the Carnegie Corporation of New York, and many colleges and universities, the IIE Syria Consortium provided more than $4.5 million to over 500 students.

In 2017, IIE expanded its work with refugee students globally through IIE’s Platform for Education in Emergencies Response (IIE PEER). IIE PEER initially focused on the educational needs of Syrian students at the university level, but quickly expanded, and is now a global resource for all refugee and displaced students, connecting them to scholarships, language classes and online learning. If you are interested in supporting this work or posting an opportunity on PEER, please contact SEI@iie.org.