Universities sent an all-time high number of college kids abroad last year, with large numbers of area students headed toward places like China and the Middle East.
George Washington University saw more than 1,200 undergraduates study off-campus in 2007-08, up from just over 1,000 in 2005-06. The school ranked 18th overall for the percentage of students going abroad, according to statistics released this week by the Institute of International Education, which is affiliated with the U.S. Department of State.
Nationwide, the number of American students of all ages studying abroad increased to more than 262,000, up nearly 9 percent between 2006-07 and 2007-08.
China has become the fifth most popular destination with more than 13,000 students for the 2007-08 school year, up 19 percent from the year before. Americans in the Middle East increased by 22 percent. The United Kingdom remains the most popular destination, with more than 33,000 American students flooding its classrooms — and pubs.
American and Georgetown universities ranked seventh and eighth in the nation, respectively. But while Georgetown’s numbers have stayed steady at just under 1,000 students each year, American’s numbers have risen to about 900, up from about 600 in 2003-04.
At George Washington, part of the increase can be attributed to new programs designed to attract students whose majors traditionally have bound them to campus, said Rob Hallworth, the school’s director of study abroad.
“We’ve started with a program in Dublin for our engineering students,” Hallworth said. “And we’re looking to expand.”
In addition, Hallworth said that the number of students across disciplines headed to China has “rocketed” in the past few years.
The annual study also counts international students studying in the United States. The D.C. area’s two-year colleges led the nation in accepting them. Montgomery College ranked fourth overall with about 2,200 students, while Northern Virginia Community College ranked sixth with about 1,700.
Jihyun Moon, 27, enrolled at Montgomery College after completing a literature degree in her native South Korea. Part of the draw, she said, was the flexibility to try a handful of courses before deciding on a course of study.
In Korea, she said, “once you choose your major, there’s almost no way to switch it.”
