Texas A&M Moves Up Among Leaders In U.S. Study Abroad Programs

Texas A&M University now ranks as one of the top institutions in the nation in the number of students studying abroad, according to a study conducted by the Institute of International Education (IIE) and the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

The report shows Texas A&M now ranks 13th nationally in having its students take advantage of opportunities to study in other countries and, in the process, broaden their cultural and related perspectives. Texas A&M placed 21st in a comparable previous study.

“The 2013 Open Doors report, which tracks study abroad and international student activity in U.S. higher education, only tracks credit-bearing study abroad courses,” notes Jane Flaherty, director of the Texas A&M Study Abroad Programs Office. “When we also include noncredit-bearing study abroad experiences, last year Texas A&M broke the 3,000 mark for the first time, sending about 3,300 students abroad.”

Pamela R. Matthews, vice provost for academic affairs, says reaching the 3,300 student mark is a historic milestone. “It is exciting that a record number of Aggies has committed to global learning through the pursuit of international opportunities.” Matthews says. “We celebrate the students for making the commitment, their families for being supportive, and the faculty and advisors for encouraging student engagement in these important opportunities.”

It’s important to note that making the decision to study or pursue non-credit bearing activities abroad doesn’t just happen, Flaherty adds.

“It takes the cooperation and strong encouragement of the colleges and deans,” she says. “It takes dedicated academic advisors to guide students in crafting a degree plan that includes a high-impact, international experience. It takes highly committed faculty members and staff who, with the support of their departments and families, not only stress the importance of global learning here in Aggieland, but also take students abroad for course work, research, service learning, or internships and other highly experiential opportunities for their students.”

The 2013 study reports that the number of American students receiving credit for study abroad increased by three percent to a total of 283,332 and increased 18 percent among those choosing to study in the top 25 destination countries.

The top five destination countries are the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, France and China and the number of students going to Japan to study increased by 28 percent, as programs resumed after being closed due to the aftermath of the tsunami of March 2011.

The report also shows that the number of international students at colleges and universities in the United States increased by 7 percent to a record high of 819,644 in the 2012/13 academic year. This is the seventh consecutive year that Open Doors reported expansion in the total number of international students in U.S. higher education; there are 40 percent more international students studying at U.S. colleges and universities than there were a decade ago.

To access the new data and background information to help explain the trends, go to www.iie.org/opendoors. The results are also available for a Fall 2013 online International Student Enrollment Survey that the IIE conducted jointly with seven other major higher education organizations (American Association of Community Colleges, American Association of State Colleges and Universities, American Council on Education, Association of American Universities, Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, Council of Graduate Schools, and NAFSA: Association of International Educators).