“Where Americans Go To Study Abroad”
by Nick Morrison via “Forbes‘
The number of Americans heading abroad to study has reached an all-time high, evidence of a growing international outlook among the new generation of students.
A report by the Institute of International Education this week shows the number of international students at U.S. universities at record levels, but the other side of the migration picture is that more American students are heading abroad than ever before.
In a companion post earlier today, I wrote about this two-way migration as a sign that universities are increasingly internationalized, reinforcing a point I made earlier this year about education becoming a global currency.
The report shows that in 2012/13 – the latest year for which figures are available – 289,043 American students studied abroad, up 2% on the previous year and more than doubling the figure of 15 years ago.
The most popular destination for American students remains the U.K., no doubt due to a combination of linguistic affinity and the reputation of its universities.
There were double digit increases in the percentage of students heading to South Africa, Denmark, South Korea and Peru.
The top 10 destinations for American students are illustrated in this table, which shows the number and percentage studying in each country in 2012/13 and the change compared with 2011/12.
| Rank | Country | Number of students | Percentage of total | Percentage change |
| 1 | U.K. | 36,210 | 12.5 | 4.5 |
| 2 | Italy | 29,848 | 10.3 | 0.7 |
| 3 | Spain | 26,281 | 9.1 | -0.8 |
| 4 | France | 17,210 | 5.9 | 0.2 |
| 5 | China | 14,413 | 5.0 | -3.2 |
| 6 | Germany | 9,544 | 3.3 | 1.9 |
| 7 | Costa Rica | 8,497 | 2.9 | 7.6 |
| 8 | Australia | 8,320 | 2.9 | -10.8 |
| 9 | Ireland | 8,084 | 2.8 | 5.8 |
| 10 | Japan | 5,758 | 2.0 | 9.0 |
Student Ramblings 