UNC Ranks 22nd Nationally in Study Abroad

Posted on Dec. 1, 2015

Carolina ranks 22nd among all U.S. higher education institutions for the number of students earning credit for study abroad, according to the Institute of International Education’s 2015 Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange.

It is UNC’s first ranking on the Open Doors’ top 25 list, which is based on the total number of a school’s students who study abroad. Open Doors found that the overall number of U.S. students studying abroad increased 5 percent from the previous year. For Carolina, 1,859 undergraduate, graduate and professional students were reported as having studied abroad in 2013-14.

“At the core of our mission is graduating students prepared to work and live in an interconnected, global world,” said Chancellor Carol L. Folt. “So many students tell me that their study abroad has made a huge, positive impression on them and I want that opportunity for all our students.”

In recent years, according to UNC, nearly a third of Carolina undergraduates — or roughly 6,000 students — have studied abroad before graduation, one of the highest rates for a public university in the U.S. Nationally, only about 10 percent of undergraduates study abroad before graduation.

Open Doors is published annually by IIE in partnership with the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Founded in 1919, the IIE is a private not-for-profit leader in the international exchange of people and ideas. In collaboration with governments, foundations and other sponsors, IIE creates programs of study and training for students, educators and professionals from all sectors, including the Fulbright Program and Gilman Scholarships administered for the U.S. State Department.

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