---
kind: "section"
citation: "31 C.F.R. § 515.565"
title: "31"
number: "515.565"
heading: "Educational activities."
url: "https://uscodex.org/cfr/31/515.565"
---

# §515.565. Educational activities.

- (a) **General license for educational activities.** Persons subject to U.S. jurisdiction, including U.S. academic institutions and their faculty, staff, and students, are authorized to engage in transactions including the travel-related transactions set forth in [§ 515.560(c)](/cfr/31/515.560.md?p=c), that are related to:
  - (1) Participation in a structured educational program in Cuba as part of a course offered for credit by a U.S. graduate or undergraduate degree-granting academic institution that is sponsoring the program;
  - (2) Noncommercial academic research in Cuba specifically related to Cuba and for the purpose of obtaining an undergraduate or graduate degree;
  - (3) Participation in a formal course of study at a Cuban academic institution, provided the formal course of study in Cuba will be accepted for credit toward the student's graduate or undergraduate degree;
  - (4) Teaching at a Cuban academic institution related to an academic program at the Cuban institution, provided that the individual is regularly employed by a U.S. or other non-Cuban academic institution;
  - (5) Sponsorship of a Cuban scholar to teach or engage in other scholarly activity at the sponsoring U.S. academic institution (in addition to those transactions authorized by the general license contained in [§ 515.571](/cfr/31/515.571.md)).
  - (6) Educational exchanges sponsored by Cuban or U.S. secondary schools involving secondary school students' participation in a formal course of study or in a structured educational program offered by a secondary school or other academic institution and led by a teacher or other secondary school official. This includes participation by a reasonable number of adult chaperones to accompany the secondary school students to Cuba.
  - (7) Sponsorship or co-sponsorship of noncommercial academic seminars, conferences, symposia, and workshops related to Cuba or global issues involving Cuba and attendance at such events by faculty, staff, and students of a participating U.S. academic institution;
  - (8) Establishment of academic exchanges and joint non-commercial academic research projects with universities or academic institutions in Cuba;
  - (9) Provision of standardized testing services, including professional certificate examinations, university entrance examinations, and language examinations, and related preparatory services for such exams, to Cuban nationals, wherever located;
  - (10) Provision of internet-based courses, including distance learning and Massive Open Online Courses, to Cuban nationals, wherever located, provided that the course content is at the undergraduate level or below;
  - (11) The organization of, and preparation for, activities described in [paragraphs (a)(1) through (10)](#a-1..a-10) of this section by employees or contractors of the sponsoring organization that is a person subject to U.S. jurisdiction; or
  - (12) Facilitation by an organization that is a person subject to U.S. jurisdiction, or a member of the staff of such an organization, of licensed educational activities in Cuba on behalf of U.S. academic institutions or secondary schools, provided that:
    - (i) The organization is directly affiliated with one or more U.S. academic institutions or secondary schools; and
    - (ii) The organization facilitates educational activities that meet the requirements of one or more of the general licenses set forth in paragraphs [(a)(1) through (3)](#a-1..a-3) and [(6)](#a-6) of this section.
- (b) **General license for people-to-people travel.** The travel-related transactions set forth in [§ 515.560(c)](/cfr/31/515.560.md?p=c) and such additional transactions as are directly incident to educational exchanges not involving academic study pursuant to a degree program are authorized, provided that:
  - (1) The exchanges take place under the auspices of an organization that is a person subject to U.S. jurisdiction and that sponsors such exchanges to promote people-to-people contact;
  - (2) Travel-related transactions pursuant to this authorization must be for the purpose of engaging, while in Cuba, in a full-time schedule of activities intended to enhance contact with the Cuban people, support civil society in Cuba, or promote the Cuban people's independence from Cuban authorities;
  - (3) Each traveler has a full-time schedule of educational exchange activities that will result in meaningful interaction between the traveler and individuals in Cuba;
  - (4) An employee, paid consultant, or agent of the sponsoring organization accompanies each group traveling to Cuba to ensure that each traveler has a full-time schedule of educational exchange activities; and
  - (5) The predominant portion of the activities engaged in by individual travelers is not with a prohibited official of the Government of Cuba, as defined in [§ 515.337](/cfr/31/515.337.md), or a prohibited member of the Cuban Communist Party, as defined in [§ 515.338](/cfr/31/515.338.md).
  - (6) In addition to all other information required by [§ 501.601](/cfr/31/501.601.md) of this chapter, entities sponsoring travel pursuant to the authorization in this [paragraph (b)](#b) must retain records sufficient to demonstrate that each individual traveler has engaged in a full-time schedule of activities that satisfy the requirements of [paragraphs (b)(1) through (5)](#b-1..b-5) of this section. Individuals may rely on the entity sponsoring the travel to satisfy their recordkeeping requirements with respect to the requirements of [paragraphs (b)(1) through (5)](#b-1..b-5) of this section. These records must be furnished to the Office of Foreign Assets Control on demand pursuant to [§ 501.602](/cfr/31/501.602.md) of this chapter.
- (c) **Certain direct financial transactions restricted.** Nothing in paragraph [(a)](#a) or [(b)](#b) of this section authorizes a direct financial transaction prohibited by [§ 515.209](/cfr/31/515.209.md).
- (d) **Certain travel-related transactions restricted.** Nothing in paragraph [(a)](#a) or [(b)](#b) of this section authorizes the lodging, paying for lodging, or making any reservation for or on behalf of a third party to lodge, at any property on the Cuba Prohibited Accommodations List to the extent prohibited by [§ 515.210](/cfr/31/515.210.md).
- (e) Transactions related to activities that are primarily tourist-oriented are not authorized pursuant to this section.
- (f) **Specific licenses.** Specific licenses may be issued on a case-by-case basis authorizing the travel-related transactions set forth in [§ 515.560(c)](/cfr/31/515.560.md?p=c) and such other transactions as are related to educational activities that do not qualify for the general licenses under paragraph [(a)](#a) or [(b)](#b) of this section.

## Notes

### Amendments

[82 FR 52000, Nov. 9, 2017, as amended at 84 FR 25992, June 5, 2019; 85 FR 60071, Sept. 24, 2020; 87 FR 35089, June 9, 2022; 89 FR 46325, May 29, 2024]

### Authority

Authority: 22 U.S.C. 2370(a), 6001-6010, 7201-7211; 31 U.S.C. 321(b); 50 U.S.C. 4301-4341; Pub. L. 101-410, 104 Stat. 890 (28 U.S.C. 2461 note); 22 U.S.C. 6021-6091; Pub. L. 105-277, 112 Stat. 2681; Pub. L. 111-8, 123 Stat. 524; Pub. L. 111-117, 123 Stat. 3034; E.O. 9989, 13 FR 4891, 3 CFR, 1943-1948 Comp., p. 748; Proc. 3447, 27 FR 1085, 3 CFR, 1959-1963 Comp., p. 157; E.O. 12854, 58 FR 36587, 3 CFR, 1993 Comp., p. 614.

### Source

Source: 28 FR 6974, July 9, 1963, unless otherwise noted.

### Amendments

[82 FR 52000, Nov. 9, 2017, as amended at 84 FR 25992, June 5, 2019; 85 FR 60071, Sept. 24, 2020; 87 FR 35089, June 9, 2022; 89 FR 46325, May 29, 2024]