American Students Study Abroad
in Growing Numbers
Despite a weak
economy and post-9/11 concerns, American students
continue to regard study
abroad as a critical component of their higher education
experience. The number of U.S. university-level students
receiving credit for study abroad in 2001/02 increased
4.4% from the previous year, reaching a record total
of 160,920, according to Open Doors 2003, the annual
report on international education published by the
Institute of International Education (IIE) with funding
from the State Department's Bureau of Educational
and Cultural Affairs. Open Doors 2003 reports that
the 4.4% increase in U.S. students abroad in academic
year 2001/02, while not as steep a growth rate as
the previous year's 7.4% increase, is still a strong
indicator of the tremendous interest in study abroad,
especially given the challenging economic and geopolitical
context in which students were making their study
abroad decisions. On the whole, study abroad has
been increasing dramatically in recent years, with
four years of double-digit growth in the "boom" years
of the late 1990s. Since 1991/92, the number of students
studying abroad has more than doubled (from 71,154
to 160,920, an increase of 126%).
In response to
the latest study abroad figures, Patricia S. Harrison,
Assistant Secretary
for Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S.
Department of State, which funds the Open Doors report
said, "We are gratified by the continuing increase
in the number of U.S. students studying abroad. A
4.4% growth is extremely encouraging, and shows that
American students continue to recognize that preparation
for success in a global future needs to include overseas
study. And the reports from American campuses
suggest that the trend is toward even greater growth
ahead. Overall, the numbers demonstrate quite clearly
that students realize that the world of tomorrow
will require everyone to be globally aware and conversant."
IIE
is working with campuses and US government and
private sponsors to reduce the financial hurdles
for study abroad, and to assist students in acquiring
skills and experience in countries and areas of
the world critical to the future security of our
nation. The Fulbright Student Program, the U.S.
government's premier public diplomacy exchange
program, which IIE has administered on behalf of
the U.S. State Department for over 56 years, annually
sends over 1,000 American students to over 140
countries around the world, providing funding for
career-launching study or research abroad to be
conducted after graduation from an accredited university.
In 2001, Congress created the Benjamin A. Gilman
International Scholarship program for undergraduates,
to provide scholarships of up to $5,000 for study
abroad to students receiving federal financial
aid. The program (www.iie.org/gilman/)
is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and
administered by IIE. Nearly 6,500 students have
applied for Gilman Scholarships to date, and the
program has assisted over 850 students from a wide
range of economic and ethnic backgrounds to go
to a wide variety of non-traditional destinations.
The National Security
Education Program David L. Boren Undergraduate
Scholarships (http://www.iie.org/nsep/)
have enabled more than 1,750 students to study over
60 languages in over 65 countries since 1994. NSEP
focuses on less commonly taught languages and countries
of the world underrepresented in study abroad. IIE's
Freeman Awards for Study in Asia program (www.iie.org/programs/freeman-asia/)
assists financially needy U.S. undergraduates who
wish to study in East or Southeast Asia. This program
has already provided scholarships to over 1,500 students,
and will offer support to an additional 1,100 U.S.
students by 2005. The impact of the Freeman-Asia
grants are specifically reflected in the strong increases
in the number of US students going to China and Japan
in recent years. All of these scholarship programs
are serving to increase students' language proficiency
and encourage a growing awareness of cultures outside
of English-speaking countries and Western Europe.
"The
continuing and strong increase in study abroad
is especially important against the backdrop of
today's headlines. Having our successor generation
learn more about other countries and societies–while
serving as cultural ambassadors to their peers–enables
young Americans to contribute directly to creating
a more peaceful world,"
commented IIE President
Allan E. Goodman.
Open Doors 2003 indicates that most
students continue to study abroad for shorter sojourns
(many for less than eight weeks), with more than
50% of U.S. undergraduates and masters degree students
electing summer, January term, internships, and other
short-term programs instead of academic year or semester
programs. Most American students who studied abroad
in 2001/02 (91%) did so for one semester or less.#
