Elon’s increase in the number of students studying abroad is a sign of the university’s continued commitment to 100% access to global education, one of the five Elon Experiences.
Elon University undergraduate study abroad participation rate jumped to 94%, according to the Institute of International Education’s (IIE) 2022-23 Open Doors Report. The estimate from IIE is a proportion of students in both two-or-four year cohorts that studied abroad at least once during their undergraduate careers.
This achievement exceeds the 90% goal outlined in the Boldly Elon Strategic Plan. Dean of Global Education Nick Gozik says there continues to be strong demand for study-abroad opportunities following the COVID-19 pandemic and IIE notes that there has been a shift back to pre-pandemic study-abroad programming. In March of 2020, Elon students were called back from study abroad programs, but opportunities resumed in the fall. Programs were cancelled in Winter Term 2021, but resumed in 2022.
Elon’s increase over the previous year is a sign of the university’s continued commitment to 100% access to global education, one of the five Elon Experiences. The Isabella Cannon Global Education Center offers a multitude of programs and resources, including the Winter Term experiences, which allow students to go on shorter study abroad programs, included in their academic year tuition (with additional fees). Elon’s student-athletes also study and compete abroad as a team, a commitment that ensures all student-athletes have the opportunity for a global experience. The university also gives more than $1 million per year in study abroad scholarships.
“Study abroad is part of our culture,” said Gozik. “When you look at why students come to Elon, study abroad is right at the very top of those reasons. When you hear the campus tours, they are talking about study abroad and so students are coming here because they know that global and study abroad are part of an Elon experience.”
Willow Stern ’25, a human resource management major, was one of those students who chose Elon for the study abroad experience. She traveled to Sorento, Italy in Fall 2023.
“Studying abroad definitely made me more independent and be by myself,” said Stern, who is studying human resources management. “It was such a huge part of my college experience, I couldn’t get over it when I got back. It made me really grateful. Elon offers so much. You’re going to get to go abroad if you want to.”
The “Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange” is the only long-standing comprehensive information resource on international students and scholars in the U.S. The report annually ranks universities based on the percentage of the student population who study abroad. During the 2022-23 academic year, Elon ranked #2 in the nation for undergraduate participation in study abroad among doctoral universities, following Pepperdine University by 0.4%. Elon has taken a top spot on the list for the past 18 years.
Nationally, 304,467 students studied abroad in 2022-23, up 60% from the year before. The IIE Spring Snapshot on International Educational Exchange also notes that this upward trend could continue, with 94% of U.S. colleges and universities reporting increased or stable student participation in study abroad for the 2024-25 academic year.