Miami ranks number one among publics in study abroad

Miami University has the highest rate of undergraduate students who participate in study abroad programs among public doctoral universities nationwide, according to the just-released Open Doors 2012 report by the Institute of International Education. More than 40 percent (1,531) of Miami students study abroad by the time they graduate. The results are based on figures from the 2010-2011 academic year.

Counting just Oxford students, the undergraduate study abroad rate is 41.8 percent.

“Students choose to study abroad for numerous reasons,” said David Keitges, Miami’s director of international education. “From perfecting a foreign language, taking courses only offered overseas, and exploring the culture of one’s heritage or personal interest, we encourage study abroad that is challenging and suitable for our individual students.”

Unique to Miami is the operation of a campus in Luxembourg. Typically one in six students who studies abroad is enrolled at the Miami University John E. Dolibois Center (MUDEC). In addition to the Luxembourg campus, Miami students are able to apply their scholarships and federal financial aid to sponsored, exchanged or co-sponsored programs with other, non-Miami semester study abroad providers.

Senior architecture major, Ben Swofford, spent a semester in Turku, Finland, with the International Student Exchange Program (ISEP). He chose the program in part because he could apply his scholarships.

“I started looking at programs my sophomore year. I eventually chose Finland because I liked that it wasn’t a typical place to go, and the school seemed like a good fit,” noted Swofford. “Miami definitely helped me make this opportunity happen. And the process of becoming an exchange student is dense. Miami’s international office is great, and the demand is incredibly high.”

“The largest number of students who study abroad are generally taking part in faculty-led workshops that travel to dozens of countries every year,” added Keitges.

Miami has a goal of 50 percent of undergraduates studying abroad. There are more than 350 co-sponsored programs that permit scholarship transfer, and airfare grants are available to students with financial need. Many of Miami’s study abroad options are offered through the office of lifelong learning. For more information about study abroad at Miami, go to www.studyabroad.muohio.edu.