The College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University have once again distinguished themselves as national leaders in study abroad, ranking among the top baccalaureate schools in the United States for both total participation and mid-length programs, according to the Open Doors 2024 report.
Open Doors is the annual report on international education published by the Institute of International Education (IIE) in partnership with the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
The 2024 report was released on Monday, Nov. 18:
- Saint Ben’s and Saint John’s tied for 17th among baccalaureate schools with 345 students who studied abroad during the 2022-23 academic year, the most recent data measured by the IIE.
- CSB and SJU are ranked No. 20 among baccalaureate schools with a combined 190 students who studied abroad in mid-length study abroad programs during the 2022-23 academic year. The IIE defines mid-length study abroad programs as lasting one semester or one or two quarters (Saint Ben’s and Saint John’s operate on a semester system).
CSB and SJU have consistently ranked in the top 20 nationally in both categories over the past two decades. Approximately 40.6% of CSB and SJU 2022-23 graduating seniors studied abroad.
CSB and SJU’s Center for Global Education annually offers students 12 semester-long programs, most of which are faculty-led. The schools also conduct 10-15 short-term study abroad programs.
“Study abroad remains a top priority at CSB and SJU, as we know how transformative these experiences are for our students,” said Kevin Clancy, director of the Center for Global Education at CSB and SJU. “The Center for Global Education continues to innovate and develop programing to encourage students to Engage Globally through our signature faculty-led semester programs and a growing variety of short-term and semester experiences abroad.”
The 2024 Open Doors report found 280,716 Americans studied abroad for academic credit from their colleges and universities in 2022-23. The leading destinations for U.S. students were (in order) Italy, the United Kingdom and Spain.
The total number of international students studying at U.S. colleges and universities was 1,126,690 in 2023-24. The top origin countries for students coming to the U.S. were (in order) India, China and South Korea.
