UC San Diego Ranked 7th in Nation for Students Who Study Abroad

Article Content

Kicking off International Education Week, the University of California, San Diego was ranked 7^th in the nation among doctoral institutions for the number of students who study abroad for a full academic year, according to the Institute of International Education (IIE) Open Doors report released yesterday.

UC San Diego student Laura Blum studied math in Rome, Italy.

The university jumped up from 10^th place last year in the report published annually by the IIE with support from the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The report, based on 2009/2010 data, revealed that some 270,600 Americans studied overseas for academic credit, a nearly 4 percent jump over the previous year, and a return after the 2008 economic crisis.

The announcement coincides with the celebration of International Education Week (IEW) at UC San Diego Nov. 14-18. IEW was established in 2000 by the U.S. Department of State and Department of Education to emphasize the importance of increasing student knowledge and awareness of the world’s cultures.

“It’s an honor to be recognized as a leader in international education,” said Lynn C. Anderson, dean of international education at UC San Diego. “This announcement is especially exciting as the university celebrates worldwide exchange during International Education Week. Our success with international education is a credit of UC San Diego students, the faculty and advisors who encourage them to study abroad, and their parents who all recognize the importance of education abroad as an essential component of their undergraduate experience.”

UC San Diego student Reina Kawazoe (left) studied abroad in Barbados.

Anderson added that the growing number of study abroad students can be attributed, in part, to Global Seminars led by faculty in locations around the world. The summer programs have been increasingly popular in recent years.

“UC San Diego has been committed to ensure all of our graduates in the 21^st century have a global education that prepares them to succeed in today’s world,” Anderson said.

During the 2009-2010 academic year, 142 UC San Diego students studied abroad for a full academic year. In total, 1,258 undergraduate and graduate students participated in education programs in 55 foreign countries through the university’s Global Seminars, Education Abroad and Opportunities Abroad Programs. The top destination countries for UC San Diego students were Spain, Italy and the United Kingdom.

UC San Diego students received more than $528,800 in study abroad scholarship support.  Funding for UC San Diego students who study abroad comes from a variety of student support sources including the Friends of the International Center, an organization which has provided more than $25,000 in scholarships for international and study abroad students.

For the number of international students on campus, UC San Diego ranks in the top four percent of institutions across the country.

“These students contribute to our classrooms, they broaden the diversity of the campus population and help bring more funding to the university during difficult economic times,” Anderson said.

For more information on the IIE Open Doors report, go to www.iie.org/en.  For more information on UC San Diego’s International Education Week celebration, go to http://iew.ucsd.edu/iew/ .

For more information about study abroad opportunities offered by UC San Diego or giving to study abroad scholarships, please visit http://icenter.ucsd.edu/pao/.