Growth in Study Abroad Approaches Standstill

By Beth McMurtrie. The number of Americans who study abroad grew an anemic 1.3 percent in 2010-11, according to the latest "Open Doors" report by the Institute of International Education.
While the numbers, which are on a two-year lag, were no doubt influenced by the country's economic woes, the poor showing highlights the challenges colleges face in making study abroad an integral part of the college experience.
"Those numbers are not growing fast enough," says Peggy Blumenthal, senior counsel at the institute. "We're going to have to find other ways to internationalize the thinking of Americans if we're not going to get them all abroad."
According to the report, 273,996 students went abroad in the 2010 academic year. Europe remains the preferred region of study, drawing 55 percent of all students. But China has steadily inched up over the years and is now the fifth most popular destination, reflecting a growing interest in Asia's leading economy. According to a separate survey by the institute, if those students traveling to China for service-learning projects, research, and other non-credit-bearing work were added in, the total number of students who traveled to China in 2011 climbed to 26,000.
Mexico and Japan saw their figures plummet—by 42 and 33 percent, respectively. No doubt the declining interest was due to the continuing drug-related violence in Mexico and the tsunami in the spring of 2011 in Japan. More...