Demographics of Study Abroad

In the 2005-2006 academic year, 223,534 individuals studied abroad, representing only approximately 1% of all enrolled students.  The charts below show a profile of study abroad today. 

Percent of U.S. Study Abroad Students by Race/Ethnicity

Race/Ethnicity	U.S. Postsecondary Enrollment 2005-2006	U.S. Students Abroad 2005-2006
African American	12.7%	3.5%
Asian American	6.5%	6.3%
Caucasian	65.7%	83.0%
Hispanic/Latino American	10.8%	5.4%
Multiracial	Not Available	1.2%
Native American	1.0%	0.6%
Nonresident Alien	3.3%	Not Available

Percent of U.S. Study Abroad Students by Host Region

Host Region	U.S. Students Abroad 2005-2006
Africa	3.8%
Asia	9.3%
Europe	58.3%
Latin America	15.2%
Middle East	1.2%
North America	0.5%
Oceania	6.3%
Multiple Regions	5.5%

Percent of U.S. Study Abroad Students by Field of Study

Academic Field of Study	U.S. Postsecondary Enrollment 2003-2004	U.S. Students Abroad 2003-2004
Agriculture	0.4%	1.2%
Business & Management	15.7%	17.5%
Education	8.9%	4.1%
Engineering	3.1%	2.9%
Fine or Applied Arts	4.9%	7.6%
Foreign Languages	0.4%	7.5%
Health Sciences	12.2%	3.4%
Humanities	7.4%	13.3%
Math or Computer Science	4.7%	1.7%
Other	5.4%	7.8%
Physical & Life Sciences	3.3%	7.1%
Social Science	12.0%	22.6%
Undeclared	19.8%	3.4%

Study Abroad Participation by State

The information in the charts above is based on the most current data from the Institute of International Education's Open Doors Report and the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics.