Athens, Ga. – The University of Georgia was ranked 17th among all U.S. institutions in the 2014 Open Doors report on the number of U.S. students studying abroad. UGA had 2,014 students studying abroad for the 2012-2013 academic credit year.
Open Doors is an annual report on international educational exchange provided by the Institute of International Education and the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The announcement of the top participating study abroad institutions coincides with the start of International Education Week, a weeklong series on internationally oriented events at UGA beginning Nov. 17.
The majority of UGA students participate in one or more of the approximately 100 faculty-led programs around the world, including programs at UGA’s year-round residential centers in Oxford, England; Cortona, Italy; and in the Monteverde region of Costa Rica. Others enroll in semester or year-round exchanges at one of UGA’s 50 exchange partners abroad or join external programs. Besides the traditional classroom based programs, study abroad opportunities also include service-learning, lectures, fieldwork, internships and laboratory experiences.
“UGA has an impressive history of over 50 years of internationalization and the Open Doors report is an important recognition of UGA’s position as a national leader in education abroad opportunities for students,” said Yana Cornish, director of education abroad in UGA’s Office of International Education. “This accomplishment is something that is made possible only through campus-wide support and tireless efforts of UGA faculty, staff and administrators.”
The top destination countries for UGA study abroad students in 2012-2013 were Italy (233), the U.K. (231) and Costa Rica (156), where UGA also has year-round residential centers. Other major destination countries were France (163), Spain (127), Australia (98), Austria (98), Fiji (59) and China (58).
An independent not-for-profit founded in 1919, the Institute of International Education is an international education and training organization. The institute fosters mutual understanding, develops global leaders and protects academic freedom worldwide through educational exchange and training programs. The Open Doors report is available at www.iie.org/en/Research-and-Publications/Open-Doors.
About the Office of International Education
The Office of International Education supports the University of Georgia’s academic, research and outreach missions and strategic directions through the promotion of global learning experiences for our students, the sponsorship and support of international students, scholars, faculty and staff and the development of international research and instructional partnerships and collaborations. For more information, see http://international.uga.edu/.