New York University ranks first among all American colleges and universities for sending the greatest number of students to study abroad, according to a 2024 survey.
The rankings are part of of the latest Open Doors Report on International Education Exchange, which has been collecting information on the number of international students studying at U. S. institutions and the number of American students studying abroad for 75 years.
The report covers both international student enrolling in the United States during the 2023-2024 academic year and U.S. students studying abroad during the 2022-2023 academic year.
In 2023-2024, the total number of international students in the U.S. increased by 7% to a record high of 1,126,690 students. International students accounted for 5.9% of the total U.S. higher education population, according to the report.
In 2022-2023, the total number of U.S. students who studied abroad for academic credit increased by 49% to 280,716 students, a strong rebound from the depressed numbers in the immediate aftermath of the pandemic. That’s about 9% of all undergraduates who received an AA or BA degree that year.
The Top 10 Universities
Among large universities, the leaders in terms of numbers of students going abroad for study were:
New York University, 4,354 students
Un. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 3,440
Un. of Texas, Austin, 3,431
Texas A&M Un., 3,056
Indiana University, 2,929
Un. of Florida, 2,904
Un. of Georgia, 2,850
Un. of Wisconsin, Madison 2,662
Un. of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, 2,553
Florida State University, 2,548
For baccalaureate colleges, the top ten were:
Un. of Richmond, 609
Susquehanna Un. 507
Eckerd College, 488
Bucknell Un., 486
St. Olaf College 480
Wofford College, 476
Colorado College, 473
Colgate College, 448
High Point Un., 448
Middlebury College, 436
The top 10 master’s level institutions were:
Cal Poly State Un., San Luis Obispo, 1,105
College of Charleston, 771
Appalachian State Un., 697
Marist College, 619
Arcadia Un., 583
Savannah College of Art & Design, 512
Rollins College, 486
SUNY Fashion Inst. of Technology, 442
Providence College, 419
San Jose State Un., 416
Among associate’s colleges, the College of DuPage led the way, with 224 students studying abroad.
Destinations
The top destination for study abroad remains Europe, with 64% of all those who studied abroad doing so in a European country. Italy topped the list, with 41,840 students. It was followed by the United Kingdom (35,018), Spain (32,648), France (17,096) and Ireland (9,780). Japan was the highest ranked non-European country at sixth, with 9,675 students.
Length of Study
About a quarter (23.3%) of students studying abroad did so for eight weeks or less, while 40.6% spent a summer abroad. More than a third pursue longer terms, either for one or two quarters/semesters (33.7%) or for an entire academic or calendar year (2.4%).
Open Doors is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. Government and supported in its implementation by the Institute of International Education.