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December 2007
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INTERNATIONAL NEWS |
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New Study Reveals 60 Percent of AU Students Study Abroad 
American University ranks ninth highest for students studying abroad of any college or university in the country, according to a study released earlier this month by the Institute for International Education. AU ranked ahead of Duke, Stanford, and George Washington University, among others, in the study, which was topped by New York’s Yeshiva University. “One reason that number is so high is that we charge home tuition no matter where you go, so generally, if students can afford to be at AU, they can afford to go abroad,” says Sara Dumont, who became director of AU Abroad in 2003 when the university initiated a major expansion of study abroad programs. Nationally, the number of students studying abroad increased 8.5 percent, although it fell by 6.6 percent among Washington institutions. To see the full report, log on to http://opendoors.iienetwork.org/?p=113744
“The expectation, and desire, to study abroad has been part of AU culture for decades, so when the AU Abroad office was created in 2003, we started from a position of great strength,” explains Dumont. However, up until 2003, AU only offered its students somewhere between 13 to 16 different options to study abroad, all enclave-type programs located in capital cities in various countries. “Naturally, because the number of sites was relatively small and did not include any opportunities to enroll directly in universities abroad, the course offerings on AU's study abroad programs were relatively limited, meaning that many AU students were not able to work a study abroad semester into their undergraduate program,” she notes. Today, students in all areas of academic interest are able to study abroad. “We now have about 110 different program offerings in 35 countries, including the option of enrolling directly in many of the world's top universities and choosing from those institutions' entire curricula,” says Dumont. Students studying any subject can find a way to study abroad. “We have also expanded our offerings in the developing world and other less traditional study abroad destinations (i.e. outside of Western Europe and Australia) and programs that offer internship and service learning opportunities. Given the curricular strengths of AU, these make good matches for many of our students' academic programs,” she adds. When studying through AU Abroad, students' scholarships and financial aid still apply. The program also has additional scholarships available for study abroad. | |||
