WFU ranks third in percentage of students studying abroad

Wake Forest University ranks third among doctoral U.S. colleges and universities in the percentage of students studying abroad, according to the Open Doors 2018 report published today by the Institute of International Education (IIE).

According to the IIE’s methodology, 73.5 percent of Wake Forest undergraduates received credit for study abroad in the 2016-2017 academic year, up from 63 percent in 2015-2016. Students spent anywhere from a few weeks to a summer to a full academic year studying in countries around the world. Wake Forest has been in the top 10 for the better part of two decades.

“When students are in their comfort zone on campus, they are often surrounded by others who are more like them than unlike them,” said David Taylor, assistant dean for Global Study Away.

The report shows that 332,727 American students received academic credit last year at the home campus for study abroad in 2016/2017. Approximately one in ten U.S. students study abroad during their undergraduate career.

The top host destinations for U.S. students studying abroad were the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, France and Germany. Twenty-five percent of all students who studied abroad were majoring in STEM fields at their home institution, a number which has been growing faster than the average, followed by business and social sciences.

Committed to creating a global campus community, Wake Forest has developed a suite of programs and opportunities to support intercultural inquiry, self-awareness, community interaction, intercultural communication and global responsibility.

• Global AWAKEnings is the University’s first-year abroad experience in Copenhagen, Denmark. Students engage in coursework led by Wake Forest and Danish faculty members who bring real-life practice from their fields into the classroom. The program, designed for 18 to 20 students, was launched in fall 2017.
• Global Village is a collaborative living and learning community for diverse international and domestic students to explore global themes through curricular and co-curricular activities. Twenty-four students commit to social, cultural and intellectual development to deepen cross-cultural understanding and foster engagement within the residential environment as well as external communities.
• Community-Based Global Learning is a two-week opportunity in either Southeast Asia or Africa that focuses on opportunities for students to work closely with local communities and organizations to promote sustainable social, environmental and economic development.
• Global Connections is a three-part year-long academic program for first-year international students enrolled in Wake Forest. The program builds self-confidence among international students and helps them develop the language, writing and cultural skills needed to succeed.

Sophomore Brittany Wallace spent her first-year studying abroad in Copenhagen with Global AWAKEnings and chose to live in the University’s Global Village this year. If accepted, she plans to participate in Wake Forest’s Community-Based Global Learning Program this spring.

“Studying abroad and living in the Global Village has opened my eyes to the many different ways people live their lives,” says Wallace.

According to Open Doors 2018, only four percent of first-year college students chose to study abroad. Only two percent of college students who study abroad during their college experience spend an entire academic year in another country.

The University offers more than 400 semester, summer and year-long study abroad programs in 200 cities in more than 70 countries worldwide.