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Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE)

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OPE works to strengthen the capacity of colleges and universities to promote reform, innovation and improvement in postsecondary education, promote and expand access to postsecondary education and increase college completion rates for America’s students.

Welcome to OPE

Thank you for visiting the Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE) Web site. We want to provide you with useful and timely information about OPE grants, grant opportunities, and the role OPE plays in the accreditation process and development of higher education policy and regulations.

Office Responsibilities

OPE works to strengthen the capacity of colleges and universities to promote reform, innovation and improvement in postsecondary education, promote and expand access to postsecondary education and increase college completion rates for America’s students, and broaden global competencies that drive the economic success and competitiveness of our Nation.

OPE’s Office of the Assistant Secretary and its Office of Management and Planning facilitate this work through its three divisions:

  • Higher Education Programs (HEP):
    • Institutional Service: Administers grant programs designed to improve academic quality, institutional management and fiscal stability, and strengthen physical plants and endowments of institutions of higher education, with an emphasis on institutions that enroll large proportions of minority and financially disadvantaged students.
    • Student Service: Administers grant programs supporting low-income, first-generation students and individuals with disabilities as they progress through the academic pipeline from middle school to graduate school, in addition to programs focused on college readiness, campus-based child care and graduate fellowships.
  • Office of International and Foreign Language Education (IFLE): Administers programs to strengthen foreign language learning, international and area studies teaching, and research and curriculum development on global issues at the undergraduate, graduate, postgraduate, and K-12 levels.
  • Office of Policy, Planning and Innovation (PPI): Develops Federal postsecondary education policy and regulations including policy which supports the Federal student financial assistance programs and programs authorized by the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA) and administers the review process for accreditation agencies to ensure that the education provided by the institutions of higher education meets acceptable levels of quality.

Office of Postsecondary Education - Programs

The Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE) administers over 60 programs that address critical national needs and support our mission of increasing access to quality postsecondary education.

Eligibility Designations and Applications for Waiving Eligibility Requirements

Education Stabilization Fund

Institutional Service

International and Foreign Language Education

Student Service

Other Programs

Higher Education Programs

HEP administers programs that broaden access to higher education and strengthen the capacity of colleges and universities.

International and Foreign Language Education

The IFLE office administers Title VI (domestic) and Fulbright-Hays (overseas) grant and fellowship programs that strengthen foreign language.

Policy, Planning, and Innovation

PPI develops postsecondary education policy and legislative proposals and is responsible for budget formulation and forecasting.

Office of Management and Planning

OMP oversees he Management Support Unit and the Executive Office for the Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE).

Office of the Assistant Secretary

The Assistant Secretary is assisted by a Deputy Assistant Secretary for Management and Planning and four Deputy Assistant Secretaries.

Title
Contacts
Office of the Assistant Secretary - Contacts

Meet the people at Office of the Assistant Secretary

Office of Postsecondary Education - Contacts

Meet OPE’s Staff

Our Locations

U.S. Department of Education
Office of Postsecondary Education
LBJ Building, 400 Maryland Avenue, S.W.
Washington, DC 20202
Main Telephone: 202-453-6914
[Directions]

U.S. Department of Education Information Resource Center: 1-800-872-5327 (toll-free)

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Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE)
Page Last Reviewed:
October 7, 2024