There is no better time to travel than when you are young; but school, money, and other requirements often stand in the way. University study abroad programs make it easier to see the world by eliminating many of these barriers. By combining classroom learning with real world experiences, study abroad programs offer a unique perspective and opportunity for learning that is impossible to achieve in any other way.
The knowledge and experiences gained through interacting with a culture and a landscape different from your own will prove invaluable to you as you continue your education, and seek future employment. Many graduate schools and employers highly value applicants with study abroad experience for their intangible skills of; independence, self discipline, adaptability, self confidence, maturity, and open-mindedness.
Choosing a school that supports your desire to study abroad is a critical part of ensuring that your study abroad dream becomes a reality. But with thousands of schools to choose from, how can you know what school has the best study abroad program for you?
To help you out we have compiled this list of schools with the best study abroad programs in the nation. To compile this list we used two surveys from the Princeton Review and U.S. News that surveyed hundreds of thousands of respondents including students, faculty, and administrators to find out what schools they believe have the best study abroad programs. Here’s what they had to say.
For more programs check out our online universities page.
| Rank | School | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Goucher College | Baltimore, Maryland |
| 2 | Elon University | Elon, North Carolina |
| 3 | University of Dallas | Irving, Texas |
| 4 | Centre College | Danville, Kentucky |
| 5 | Carleton College | Northfield, Minnesota |
Goucher College
Goucher college was the first ever college to require its students to complete a study abroad program in order to graduate. With more than 60 programs in 32 countries and 6 continents, they are sure to have something that meets your needs.
Elon University
Over 72% of the 2015 graduating class from Elon participated in at least one study abroad program while at the University. The school boasts more than 100 study abroad programs available around the world, with a variety of different emphasis and disciplines.
University of Dallas
The University of Dallas has a campus in Rome, Italy where students can live for a semester and visit the nearby Florence, Venice, Assisi, and Greece to learn about the cultural and intellectual history of the area. From Michelangelo to Socrates, there’s no better way to learn about some of history’s greatest thinkers, than by visiting the very cities and streets that they roamed.
Centre College
85% of students at Centre College go on a study abroad at least once during their time at school. The reason so many students go is that the college makes it easy for students, by maintaining its own long-term, residential programs in Strasbourg, France; Merida, Mexico; and London, England. In addition to these locations, students can spend an entire semester in Shanghai, China; Yamaguchi, Japan; Reading, England; Glasgow, Scotland; and Northern Ireland, along with the opportunity to spend shorter, 3-week-programs in many other countries.
Carleton College
Carleton College uses a faculty led program model to ensure that the University values, goals, and educational experience extend through their study abroad program. Students can study in a variety of locations each year including, Australia, New Zealand, China, and many more.
Kalamazoo College
The study abroad programs at Kalamazoo College are long! Programs typically last 6 months or longer, allowing students to fully immerse themselves in the culture that surrounds them. Students are placed with a host family in the foreign country, giving them an up close encounter with the country’s language and culture. During their time abroad, students also participate in Cultural Research Projects where they dedicate time to an activity that is meaningful to them and the local community.
Syracuse University
Syracuse has study abroad centers in eight different countries, plus access to more than 60 other countries through their world partner plan. Each study abroad center is managed by an academic director, and a bi-cultural support staff, which allows students the ability to customize their study abroad experience to fit their academic needs.
New York University
NYU has study abroad programs in 11 different cities worldwide on six continents. The NYU study abroad program allows students to take classes in a variety of subjects while they are away, ranging from Photography to Civil Engineering.
Georgetown University
Georgetown students pride themselves on being well aware of the world around them, and their comprehensive study abroad program is one of the main reasons why. With up to 160 approved programs in 40 countries, it is no wonder that Georgetown University has a spot on our list.
Dickinson College
Dickinson prides itself on the closeness of the overall academic relationship between Dickinson and its partners in study abroad. Its 15 programs in more than a dozen countries cover academic disciplines of all types.
Wake Forest University
Wake Forest University provides its students with a plethora of options to choose from when it comes to choosing a location and an area of study. It even provides a variety of international internships for students who apply.
Boston University
BU was one of the first universities in the United States to send students abroad, and was the very first university to offer study abroad opportunities on several different continents. BU’s study abroad programs provide academic breadth and depth that is top notch.
Butler University
Butler University students can choose from over 200 study abroad and exchange programs in over 60 countries. Butler also works with the neighboring Institute for Study Abroad (IFSA) as a provider of study abroad programming for U.S. undergraduates. In addition to providing transcripts for all IFSA students, Butler University endorses all IFSA-taught courses.
Webster University
Webster University features international campuses in Switzerland, Ghana, Austria, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and Thailand that each offer a unique experience for students studying a variety of subjects. Each international campus is staffed and operated by experienced Webster Professors that are knowledgeable of the culture and history of their location.
Dartmouth College
At Dartmouth College, faculty and professors are highly involved in the study abroad process. This high involvement creates meaningful relationships between students and Professors that lasts a lifetime. Dartmouth also works hard to ensure that off campus program experiences are tightly integrated into on-campus curriculum.
Middlebury College
Middlebury supports its mission to cultivate the intellectual, creative, physical, ethical, and social qualities essential for leadership in a rapidly changing global community by creating schools abroad in Argentina, Brazil, Cameroon, Chile, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Russia, Spain, Uruguay, and the United Kingdom. Each year more than 50% of the junior class studies abroad in more than 40 different countries.
St. Olaf College
St. Olaf College provides a variety of programs for its students including one called the global semester. This program allows students to study in 13 different cities around the world over a five month period. The program is led by school faculty, and visits places such as Athens, Cairo, Bangkok, Geneva, and Shanghai while students study art history, religion, and sociology.
Stanford University
Stanford University considers the opportunity to study abroad as an undergrad an integral part of its curriculum. The school offers programs in 11 different international cities, and includes classes that count toward GE and major credit.
Duke University
Duke University partners with a number of affiliate campuses around the world to provide a rich cultural experience for its students. These campuses each extend the Duke learning experience to an international or domestic campus.
Michigan State University
Michigan State has led the country in study abroad participation among public universities for the past six years. The school offers more than 275 programs in over 60 countries. MSU prides itself on offering study abroad programs that focus on quality, diversity, and accessibility.
Villanova University
The Villanova Office of Education Abroad has a goal to provide programming that immerses their students in the culture that surrounds them. This immersion allows study abroad students to quickly improve their language skills, and gives them a cultural experience unlike any other.
University of Michigan
In 2014 the University of Michigan ranked fifth in the nation in total number of students studying abroad. The University’s office of education abroad offers programs, internships, and service trips for students studying a variety of subjects, languages, and disciplines.
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign offers intimate, faculty-led programs in addition to having dozens of international centers at affiliate schools. These faculty-led programs allow students to travel with a small group of students, and a knowledgeable professor as they study cultures and environments different from their own.
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota offers a wide range of programs to both students at the University, and non students. Some of their most popular programs include language studies in Argentina, Biology in Tanzania, and Social Studies in Rome.
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is dedicated to eliminating the barriers that often make studying abroad difficult. The University offers various scholarships to study abroad and uses connections around the world to get its students the best possible rates and experiences.
University of Wisconsin- Eau Claire
The University of Wisconsin- Eau Claire allows students to customize their study abroad search by filtering by location, price, teaching language, academic discipline, and more; ensuring that students find exactly the study abroad program that they are looking for.
University of Richmond
At Richmond, the question is not whether our students will encounter the world while here — it’s when and how often. Richmond is an inherently and intentionally international place. More than 65 percent of students make the most of their time by studying abroad in semester, short-term, or summer programs. These experiences away from campus provide opportunities to blend intellectual pursuits with cultural immersion. Before and after their journeys, campus teems with opportunities for them to connect and learn across cultures. Study abroad advisers partner with students as they thoughtfully combine and complement their intellectual and personal pursuits with study abroad experiences that fit their own unique ambitions and goals.
Gettysburg College
Gettysburg College uses its study abroad program to support curriculum goals, to encourage engaged learning, and to foster global citizenship. The college has programs on 6 continents, representing all majors and disciplines.
St. John’s University
St. John’s University offers semester-long programs that allow its students to stay in multiple countries across Europe throughout the duration of their study. They also offer a variety of European internships in various disciplines.
Colby College
Colby College offers more than 200 programs in more than 60 countries, making them one of the most diverse colleges when it comes to study abroad options. Colby’s programs offer students a wealth of knowledge and experiences that enrich their personal, academic, and professional lives.
