Elon has more students studying abroad than any other master's-level college or university in the nation. Details...
That is the finding of The Institute of International Education’s (IIE) 2002 Open Doors report. Elon ranked first in the category for the number and percentage of students who have an international study experience. Elon’s study abroad numbers place it ahead of all bachelor’s-level schools in the nation and all but four doctoral-level universities. Elon has been ranked first among master’s-level schools on the IIE rankings since 1999.
IIE is a nonprofit international educational organization based in New York which is dedicated to excellence in international educational exchange and training. The organization tracks statistics about study abroad for schools of various sizes and categories nationwide. IIE’s report, Open Doors 2002 which was funded by the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, included figures for the 2000-2001 academic year. It found that the number of American students receiving credit for study abroad increased 7.4 percent from the previous year, confirming the growing trend toward including study abroad as an integral part of the college experience.
During the 2000-2001 school year, 710 Elon students studied abroad, and 54 percent of graduating seniors had studied abroad during their college years. That percentage increased to 58 percent of the 2002 graduating class. The top ten master’s-level colleges and universities in the IIE Open Doors 2002 report included the following:
- Elon University
- University of Saint Thomas, St. Paul, Minn.
- James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Va.
- University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, Iowa
- California Polytechnic State University – San Luis Obispo, Calif.
- Truman State University, Kirksville, Mo.
- Calvin College, Grand Rapids, Mich.
- Villanova University, Villanova, Pa.
- Appalachian State University, Boone, N.C.
- Western Washington University, Bellingham, Wash.