Study Abroad Programs Show Growth, Increased Diversity: The number of U.S. students studying overseas has reached a new record, part of an upward trend that also shows greater diversity both in the study abroad population and the foreign destinations selected for their studies.
More than 40,000 students of color studied abroad in 2006-07, nearly double the number from 2001, based on data from the Institute of International Education. Overall, African Americans, Hispanics, Asian Americans, Native Americans and multiracial students made up nearly one of every five study abroad students in 2007, says the institute’s annual Open Doors report.
Part of this increase is due to increased marketing at minority-serving institutions as well as greater utilization of scholarships, officials said. Students of color now represent about half of all recipients of Gilman Scholarships, a U.S. State Department initiative authorized by Congress in 2000 to improve study abroad participation by Pell Grant recipients.
