Not only has Michigan State University (MSU) seen a steep increase (12 percent) in international student enrollment, it’s also sending more students overseas.
The increase in international student enrollment puts the university at No. 10 in international student enrollment among private and public schools, according to Open Doors 2009, the annual report on international education released by the Institute of International Education.
Study abroad numbers are also increasing. During the 2007-2008 academic year, 2,969 MSU students studied abroad, a six percent increase over the 2006-2007 school year.
“I think this gives us a region where the young people are very much aware of how interconnected the world is, probably more than an average university town,” says Brett Berquist, executive director of the MSU Office of Study Abroad.
Berquist says the university is actively encouraging students to expand their geographic reach by seeking study abroad opportunities outside of Western Europe. Last year, an estimated 200 students studied in Africa and 38 percent studied outside of Western Europe.
“We have a history and strength of programming in Africa that we’re very proud of,” he says. “We saw a lot of growth in Latin America this year.”
MSU also offers a program in the Antarctic, which is very uncommon.
Source: Brett Berquist, MSU
Ivy Hughes is the managing editor of Capital Gains and can be reached here.
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