David L. Boren Awards for International Study

Kicking-off International Education Week, the Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange, released today, reports an increase in U.S. students studying abroad; 270,604 U.S. students studied abroad for credit during the academic year 2009/10, compared to 260,327 the previous year. The Open Doors report, released today in Washington, D.C. by Assistant Secretary Ann Stock (R) and IIE President and CEO Allan Goodman, is published annually by the Institute of International Education in partnership with the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

Study abroad by students enrolled in U.S. higher education has more than tripled over the past two decades. The increase shown in this year’s Open Doors report returns to the steady rise in study abroad numbers each year since the data has been tracked, with the exception of 2008/09, when world economic conditions had caused a slight dip. 

The United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, France and China, remained the top host destinations. Each of these destinations hosted more U.S. students in 2009/10 than the prior year, with increases ranging from two to five percent. There has been a surge of interest in study in China in the past decade, with nearly 14,000 students studying in China in 2009/10 compared to fewer than 3,000 in 1999/00.

The report found notable increases in U.S. students going to study in many of the less traditional destinations.  Fifteen of the top 25 destinations were outside of Western Europe and nineteen were countries where English is not a primary language.  There was a 44 percent increase in U.S. students going to India.  Israel, Brazil and New Zealand also showed large percentage gains.  Substantial increases were reported in U.S. students going to Egypt.

To obtain a more current “snapshot” of whether these positive study abroad trends are continuing, IIE conducted a fall 2011 online survey in cooperation with the Forum on Education Abroad. U.S. campus respondents to the fall 2011 survey reported that study abroad numbers are continuing to rebound. More than 53 percent of the responding campuses said they had seen an increase in the number of their students studying abroad in 2010/11 compared to the previous year, including some of the campuses with the largest numbers of study abroad students.

In the fall 2011 survey, campus leaders and study abroad providers noted that they have increasingly sought affordable opportunities for their students to gain valuable international experience. Open Doors data for 2009/10 also showed an increase of seven percent in the number of students participating in practical work experiences as part of their study abroad, with 20,000 students now receiving academic credit at U.S. colleges and universities for internships or work abroad.

“For American students to be competitive in today’s globalized world, international experience is critically important,” said Ann Stock, Assistant Secretary (R). “Through innovative programs including Fulbright, critical language awards and the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program, American students have the opportunity to study abroad.”
 
Allan E. Goodman, President and CEO of the Institute of International Education, said “Studying abroad enables American students to obtain first-hand experience in other countries and cultures, to prepare them as 21st century professionals and leaders in all fields. The international skills they gain are crucial to their ability to succeed in global careers and work together across borders to address important world issues. It is important that we as educators work to try to ensure that all students have the opportunity to study abroad.”

Despite the increases in the number of U.S. students studying abroad, these students still represent a small proportion of total enrollment in U.S. higher education, estimated at close to 20 million students. Just over one percent of all U.S. students enrolled in U.S. higher education at any academic level typically study abroad during any single academic year. Among students pursuing Bachelor’s degrees, about 14 percent study abroad at some point during their undergraduate programs.
  
While Europe continues to be by far the leading regional destination for U.S. students studying abroad, Open Doors reports that the number of students going to Europe increased by only two percent in 2009/10, and the European share of U.S. study abroad students has gradually declined over the past decade, from 62 percent in 1999/00, to 54 percent in 2010/11. Latin America hosted 15 percent of all Americans studying abroad, Asia hosted 12 percent, Oceania – which includes Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific Islands -- hosted five percent, and Africa hosted six percent.

The number of students to Africa, Asia and the Middle East increased by more than eight percent each. This growth is fueled in part by new and sometimes more affordable program opportunities in these destinations, strategic partnerships between higher education institutions in the United States and abroad. An expansion of programs in diverse fields and short durations, often led by home-campus faculty, accommodates an increasingly diverse study abroad population.

For more information about Open Doors 2011, click here.