Demographics of Study Abroad
In the 2007-2008 academic year, 262,416 students studied abroad for academic credit, which is an 8.5% increase over the previous year. However, even with this increase the number of students studying abroad still only represents 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 2007-2008 |
U.S. Students Abroad 2007-2008 |
| African American |
11.3% |
3.8% |
| Asian American |
6.7% |
6.6% |
| Caucasian |
64.4% |
81.8% |
| Hispanic/Latino American |
11.4% |
5.9% |
| Multiracial |
Not Available |
1.2% |
| Native American |
1.0% |
0.5% |
| Nonresident Alien |
3.4% |
Not Available |
| Race/Ethnicity Unknown |
7.8% |
Not Available |
Percent of U.S. Study Abroad Students by Host Region
| Host Region |
U.S. Students Abroad 2007-2008 |
| Africa |
4.5% |
| Asia |
11.1% |
| Europe |
56.3% |
| Latin America |
15.3% |
| Middle East |
1.3% |
| North America |
0.4% |
| Oceania |
5.3% |
| Multiple Regions |
5.7% |
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 StateThe 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.