IU ranks high in study abroad, international students

IU Bloomington now ranks fifth in the nation for total number of students studying abroad, according to data released Monday from the Institute of International Education’s 2013 Open Doors report.

Last year, IU ranked seventh.

According to the report, 2,328 IUB students studied abroad in a credit-granting program in the 2011-12 academic year. In 2010-11, 2,203 students went abroad.

Kathleen Sideli, associate vice president for overseas study, said these increased numbers and rankings show IU is meeting its strategic goals for international programs set back in 2008.

These goals, she said, include diversifying the university’s study abroad programs, program locations, fields of study available and student demographics.

“We’re very pleased that IU students consider study abroad an integral part of their degree programs,” Sideli said. “Today, more than ever, students need to understand the way other cultures operate in order to understand their place in the world.”

IUB also ranks ninth in the nation for number of students spending a semester abroad, tenth in the nation for students studying abroad for a summer or in programs of eight weeks or less and 13th in the nation for students spending an academic or calendar year abroad, according to the report.

Sideli said about 40 percent of IU students studying abroad complete semester-long programs, which is slightly higher than the report’s national average of 37.9 percent.
IU President Michael A. McRobbie said an international dimension to education has become a more important focus at IU, according to an IU press release.

“This international dimension, we are convinced, has never been more vital to our graduates’ success,” McRobbie said in the release.

McRobbie said collaborating with institutions around the world creates better study abroad opportunities for students and also attracts the best international students to study at IU.

IU ranked 13th in the nation for total number of international students coming to campus to study during the 2012-13 year, according to the report.

Rendy Schrader, director of international student and scholar advising for the Office of International Services, said international students often look to rankings when deciding where to attend school in the U.S.

“If they know that there are big numbers of international students on this campus, then we’re doing something right,” she said.

Schrader said having students who speak different languages can create a more diverse student population and enhance students’ education.

“We’re literally bringing the world to IU,” she said. “For international students themselves, they’re looking for global careers. This is a fantastic way to understand American business and how it impacts the world.”

According to the press release, 7,917 international students studied at one of IU’s campuses in 2012-13, a 7-percent increase from 2011-12. International students at IUB come from 117 countries, particularly East Asia and India, the release said.

Schrader said the increased numbers of international students coming to IU and of IU students going abroad brings the University closer to meeting McRobbie’s ideals of a global institution.

“Having the international students present here and having American students go abroad is the root of it all,” she said.

Follow reporter Alyssa Schor on Twitter @alyssa_schor29.