Ohio State ranked in the top 15 nationally for study abroad and international students
The Ohio State University is ranked among the top 10 nationally for its international student enrollment and in the top 15 for the number of students studying abroad, according to a national report released today.
Ohio State ranked 10th among the nation’s colleges and universities for hosting 6,142* international students in 2011, a 10 percent increase over the previous year. Ohio State improved its 18th place ranking and moved to14th nationally with 1,993 students studying abroad in 2010-2011. Ohio State remained 3rd in the nation with 1,806 students studying abroad on short-term programs. Short-term programs are defined as taking place during the summer, January term or for eight weeks or less during the academic year.
These findings were issued as part of the 2012 Open Doors Report, an annual survey published by the Institute of International Education.
“Ohio State’s strategy to growing our international student enrollment has been carefully planned and the quality of our applicants continues to grow,” said William Brustein, vice provost for global strategies and international affairs.
Brustein acknowledged that while the number of students studying abroad has slightly increased, it is important to find ways to make study abroad accessible and affordable to a wide range of students so that even if Ohio State’s study abroad figures remain steady over the next year, new programming to be offered under the semester system will have a positive effect on the numbers of students studying abroad in the near future.
“We will launch our new May session study abroad programs in 2013 that are specifically designed for first and second year students,” Brustein said. “These programs will focus on the history, culture, and current events of one specific country or region and will feature classroom instruction in English. We hope this type of program will be attractive for a wide range of majors and broad demographic dimensions.”
International students at Ohio State are from 110 different countries including, China (3,065); India (778); South Korea (675); Taiwan (240) and Saudi Arabia (134). Nationally, the leading home countries for international students are China, India, South Korea, Canada and Taiwan.
The top fields of study at Ohio State for international students include business, engineering and biomedical and biological sciences, similar to the national trend.
The most popular destinations for Ohio State students to study abroad include the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany and Italy. Nationally, the leading destinations for studying abroad are the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, France and China.
The top fields of study for Ohio State students studying abroad are business and management, social sciences and humanities, matching the national trend.
The 2012 Open Doors Report is released as part of the nationwide observance of International Education Week (November 12-16), a joint initiative established by the U.S. Departments of Education and State.
At Ohio State, the week is celebrated with a number of activities supported by the Office of International Affairs, which oversees Ohio State’s study abroad programs and international student and scholar services. The office also advances high quality international education programs, scholarships and service activities to promote global opportunities for Ohio State, its faculty, staff and students. For more information, visit http://oia.osu.edu/
* The IIE’s collection of enrollment data for international students includes two categories of students who are not currently enrolled at Ohio State in classes for credit. They include “Optional Practical Training” students who are not taking classes, but are continuing their education through practical training in their field of study, and exchange students who are pursuing continuing (non-credit) education.
