Hope College has been identified as a “leading institution” for the number of students who participate in study abroad.

Hope was in the top 40 nationwide among baccalaureate colleges for the number of students who studied abroad during the 2013-14 school year, according to a report released in November by the Institute of International Education (IIE).  The 2015 “Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange” ranked Hope 36th in the country among four-year institutions with 309 students having studied outside of the United States.

“At Hope we recognize the value of study abroad as a fundamental part of an education, especially as we emphasize preparing students for lives of leadership and service in a global society,” said Amy Otis-DeGrau, director of international education at Hope.

“Off-campus study, and study abroad in particular, is an important way of providing students with an opportunity to engage with another culture and society, and to learn something about who they are as Americans,” she said.  “We realize that not every student will go or can go abroad, but the hundreds of Hope students who do so each year find their lives shaped for the better—and when they return, they help enrich the campus community with the perspective that they have gained.”

Hope students have access to more than 200 off-campus study programs in virtually every part of the globe.  Options include semester- and year-long study, as well as shorter-term May Term, June Term and summer-school programs.

IIE is an independent not-for-profit organization that designs and implements programs of study and training for students, educators, young professionals and trainees for all sectors with funding from government agencies, foundations and corporations.  IIE has conducted an annual statistical survey of the international students in the United States since the institute’s founding in 1919 and in partnership with the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs since 1972.  “Open Doors” also reports on the number of international scholars at U.S. universities; international students enrolled in pre-academic Intensive English Programs; and on U.S. students studying abroad.

In its overview of the 2015 “Open Doors” report, IIE noted that a record number U.S. students participated in study-abroad programs during 2013-14.  During the same period, the U.S. also hosted a record number of international students.  Hope hosted international students from 34 foreign nations during the 2013-14 school year.

More information about IIE and the “Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange” is available at iie.org/Research-and-Publications/Open-Doors.