Just after my last post highlighting USA Today's article on the importance of study abroad in a college education, USA Today released another article showcasing the newly released statistics from the Institute of International Education's annual Open Doors report, and the results propel the growing trend of American students studying abroad. Not only are the mere number of students going abroad increasing, but the trends in locations are evolving to an increasingly diverse array of global destinations.
The report says that, "241,791 U.S. students went abroad for academic credit in 2006-07, up 8% from the previous year, and nearly 150% more than a decade earlier." Other highlights include:
- Europe is still the most popular destination for students (with 57% of students Europe-bound)
- The fastest-growing destinations this year were South Africa (28%), China (25.3%), Argentina (26.2%), Equador (29.6%), and India (24.2%).
- The majority of students (55%) are studying abroad in eight weeks or less, with 4.4% of students spending a full academic year abroad.
- Finally, what exactly are students studying while they're off to Europe and Equador? Social sciences, business and management, and humanities were the most common fields of study.
The article also discussed the pending Paul Simon Bill, which would increase the number of American students studying abroad to over 1 million in the next ten years. Proponents of the bill argued that the US, ""cannot conduct itself effectively in a competitive international environment when our most educated citizens lack minimal exposure to, and understanding of, the world beyond U.S. borders." I could not agree more. Let's get our students abroad!
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