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Whole World Study: A Guide to Study in Uncommon Destinations
Take Advantage of the Opportunities!
The opportunity to study abroad is increasingly becoming an integral complement to the undergraduate curriculum on campuses across the United States. With unprecedented demand by students seeking to study abroad and a growing emphasis on the importance of cultures and languages other than our own, study abroad opportunities for undergraduate students now span the world. As the borders of opportunity have expanded, students can now live and learn in exciting destinations in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and elsewhere in the developing world.
Home to the majority of the world's population, local activities and decisions made in such "nontraditional" study abroad destinations increasingly affect the world in which we live, from the environment to the global economy. The U.S. government is seeking to develop new connections and expanded relationships within these regions and has implemented several new initiatives to stimulate student interest. Study abroad in these less-traveled destinations offers unparalleled opportunities for students to pursue a variety of personal, cultural, and professional goals that will serve them for a lifetime.
These nontraditional destinations provide intellectually challenging and markedly different cultural experiences from the more traditional programs found in western Europe. While this region has been the most conventional destination for U.S. students studying abroad, a glance through the Institute of International Education's Open Doors report will show that non-European destinations have made, and are continuing to make, extraordinary gains in student enrollments during the past decade and more. Students are choosing study abroad in these less-traditional destinations for the academic, cultural, linguistic, personal, and professional opportunities that they provide.
NAFSA's Education Abroad Whole World Subcommittee actively promotes study in nontraditional parts of the world and provides this guide to encourage students, parents, faculty, study abroad advisers, and career development advisers to consider study abroad programs in one of these rewarding locations.
The opportunity to study abroad is increasingly becoming an integral complement to the undergraduate curriculum on campuses across the United States. With unprecedented demand by students seeking to study abroad and a growing emphasis on the importance of cultures and languages other than our own, study abroad opportunities for undergraduate students now span the world. As the borders of opportunity have expanded, students can now live and learn in exciting destinations in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and elsewhere in the developing world.
Home to the majority of the world's population, local activities and decisions made in such "nontraditional" study abroad destinations increasingly affect the world in which we live, from the environment to the global economy. The U.S. government is seeking to develop new connections and expanded relationships within these regions and has implemented several new initiatives to stimulate student interest. Study abroad in these less-traveled destinations offers unparalleled opportunities for students to pursue a variety of personal, cultural, and professional goals that will serve them for a lifetime.
These nontraditional destinations provide intellectually challenging and markedly different cultural experiences from the more traditional programs found in western Europe. While this region has been the most conventional destination for U.S. students studying abroad, a glance through the Institute of International Education's Open Doors report will show that non-European destinations have made, and are continuing to make, extraordinary gains in student enrollments during the past decade and more. Students are choosing study abroad in these less-traditional destinations for the academic, cultural, linguistic, personal, and professional opportunities that they provide.
NAFSA's Education Abroad Whole World Subcommittee actively promotes study in nontraditional parts of the world and provides this guide to encourage students, parents, faculty, study abroad advisers, and career development advisers to consider study abroad programs in one of these rewarding locations.
World Wide Scholarship Policy and Procedures
Pennsylvania State University's World Wide Scholarship program encourages its students to gain the first hand experience of living and learning in non-traditional study abroad areas of the world. They have developed the following guidelines and practices to ensure that students, parents, faculty, and advisers all have the best possible experience in the program.- For Study Abroad Advisers
- For Students
- For Parents
- For Faculty
- For Career Advisers
- Recommended Resources
World Wide Scholarship Documents
Whole World Scholarship is a program at Pennsylvania State University which specifically targets students who choose uncommon destinations. Below are a sampling of their documents which could serve as "best practices" materials for institutions setting up similar programs.- Whole World Scholarship Proposal (150kb
) - Whole World Scholarship Application (41kb )
- Whole World Scholarship Brochure (546kb )
