Welcome to NCITE

Please note that as of July 29, 2008, the Doha Round of the World

 Trade Organization’s discussions was delayed indefinitely due to an impasse

on issues related to agriculture. As the primary purpose of the National

Committee for International Trade in Education (NCITE) is to advocate

for education services in the General Agreement on Trade in Services

(GATS), which is, in turn, dependent on the continuance of the Doha

Round. NCITE will for the foreseeable future concentrate its energies on

bilateral and regional free trade agreements. The web site visitor is therefore

advised to review this site as primarily archival, representing the first decade

of NCITE activity. Inquiries may be directed to cqaie@cqaie.org

The last significant GATS related event sponsored by NCITE was the

December 18-19, 2005 international conference held in Hong Kong on

the occasion of the WTO Ministerial Round: The WTO and International

Trade in Education Services: Opportunities and Challenges of

Transnational Education.

The National Committee for International Trade in Education (NCITE) is a collective voice

on trade issues for U.S. higher education and training. NCITE advises the Office of the

U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) on the World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations

related to the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS), as mandated originally

by the Uruguay Round.

Education services (including training and testing) are the fifth largest traded service in the United States. We have a major stake in ensuring that its interests as an industry are properly
represented in international negotiations. Characterized as highly decentralized, education services have not historically had an organized voice for U.S. international trade purposes.

The organizing meeting of NCITE took place in Washington, DC September 13 & 14, 1999 and was attended by representatives of a broad spectrum of the U.S. education and training services area, including: commercial/corporate education interests; commercial testing interests; and full range of the higher education institutional sector, including: community college consortia and regional alliances of colleges and universities; adult education and distance education institutions, liberal
arts colleges and major public and private universities.