Open Doors, an International Educational Exchange network, reports the number of Americans studying abroad increased by 8.5 percent to 262,416 in the 2007 and 2008 academic year, up from 205,983 students in 2006.
Study abroad programs have always been popular among students because of the opportunity to learn in a new environment. Over the past few decades, the numbers of American students enrolling in short-term study abroad programs has steadily risen. Reportedly, four times as many U.S. students participated in a study abroad program in 2007-08 than in 1987-88.
Notable increases have been seen in students choosing less traditional locations for their study abroad adventures. In years past, Western Europe was the popular destination for all majors and programs.
Researchers are now seeing a large number of U.S. students choosing to go to China, Ireland, Austria and even India, whose study abroad numbers are up a booming 20 percent. Costa Rica, Japan, Argentina and South Africa are up nearly 15 percent each as well.
According to the Open Doors news release, Judith A. McHale, Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs said, “The State Department strongly supports study abroad through such programs as the Fullbright Program, which is sending its largest number ever of U.S. students abroad this year, and the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program--which in two years has doubled the number of U.S. undergraduates with financial need whom we support study abroad.”
“More students are eager to study in newly popular study abroad destinations such as China, India and the Middle East. The language and cultural skills they acquire along with their academic experience will have a profound effect on their lives and careers,” said Allan E. Goodman, CEO of the Institute of International Education, according to Open Doors
While the four most popular destinations for U.S. study abroad students have remained the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain and France, fifteen of the top 25 destinations are outside of Western Europe and 19 of the countries were not primarily English speaking.
Large universities still remain the largest U.S. study abroad senders, with New York University at the top the list with 3,395 of its students abroad. Michigan State University comes in a close second, and the University of Minnesota--Twin Cities rounds out the top three.
However, not only large Universities send a considerable amount of students abroad. Open Doors research found that 23 institutions reported sending more than 80 percent of their students abroad at some point during their undergraduate careers.
When the students arrive abroad, what kind of programs and classes do they enroll in? The most popular major is social sciences, with 21.5 percent of students, while twenty percent of students study business and management; 13 percent study humanities.
Our Take:
It’s fantastic that, despite the state our economy is in, students are still broadening their horizons and enrolling in study abroad programs. Programs such as Fullbright and the Benjamin A. Gillman International Scholarship program are amazing opportunities for not only college students to see and experience an entirely different world and culture, but to also apply it to whatever field they are planning to go in to as a career. Have you done study abroad? Let us know how your experience was!
