In 2004-2005, 20.8 percent of the university’s graduating students participated in a study abroad experience, a 6.6 percent increase from 2003-2004 and the highest percentage in UGA history.
“A fuller understanding of the world is a critical characteristic of being a well educated person,” says UGA President Michael F. Adams. “Increasing the number of UGA students involved in study abroad is one of the goals of our strategic plan, and I am pleased that we are having this level of success.”
UGA ranks ninth in the nation in the number of students studying abroad as reported in the Institute of International Education Open Doors Report 2005. Although summer sessions and May term programs still attract the highest percentage of UGA students studying abroad, 78 percent in 2004-2005, the number of students participating in semester or yearlong programs or exchanges rose by 10 percent in the last year as recorded in UGA’s Office of International Education statistical database.
“Students benefit greatly from year-long and semester-long programs and exchanges, because they have the opportunity to discover more about the culture and immerse themselves in the language,” says Judith Shaw, interim associate provost for international affairs.
Shaw is particularly pleased to see more student participation in longer-term programs and exchanges. The increase coincides with the recommendations of the Task Force on General Education that students benefit more from longer-term, deep-immersion study abroad experiences.