The University of Wisconsin-Madison ranked sixth among U.S. universities and colleges in the number of students earning academic credit from study abroad programs during 2011-’12, according to the 2013 Open Doors Report on International Education Exchange released Monday.
For 2011-’12, 2,149 UW-Madison students earned academic credit outside the United States. Last year, UW-Madison ranked ninth, with 2,159 students who participated in study abroad programs and received credit.
"These latest statistics demonstrate UW-Madison's commitment to international education and encourage us as we continue to break down the barriers—financial and otherwise—to overseas opportunities for students," Director of International Programs Dan Gold said in a news release. "We are focused on developing innovative programs that better train students from all majors and interests to thrive in today's globalized world."
In a breakdown of 2011-’12 study abroad participation by program length, UW-Madison ranks fifth nationally for long-term, defined as academic or calendar year participation, and fourth for semester involvement, leading the Big Ten in both categories.
For the same year, UW-Madison students studied in 85 countries on six continents. The most popular destinations were Spain, Italy United Kingdom, China and France. Nearly two-thirds of participants were female, and the majority were seniors and juniors, according to the report.
Recent years have also included growth in the number of non-U.S. students at UW-Madison.
The report also distinguished that nationally, the number of U.S. students studying abroad in 2011-’12 equaled 283,332, which increased from 273,996 the previous year.
Although this number is at an all-time high, less than 10 percent of all U.S. undergraduate students study abroad by the time they graduate.
