The College of Charleston was recently honored by the Institute of International Education (IIE) for more than doubling the amount of students who participated in the student study abroad program over the past two years. The College was one of 11 schools nationwide to be recognized.
Students on a study abroad trip to Paris.
A total of 1,033 CofC students participated in the study abroad program presented through the Center for International Education in the 2015-2016 school year. College of Charleston is among the first higher education institutions to meet or exceed the goals among the 700 colleges that have joined the Generations Study Aboard program headed by IIE.
“College of Charleston seeks to accomplish its strategic goal of providing students the global and interdisciplinary knowledge that empowers them to address the major challenges of the 21st century,” says Andrew Sobiesuo, the director of the Center for International Studies. “Both faculty and students understand and embrace this concept either through their advocacy for study abroad or their participation.”
According to a study by IIE, evidence indicates that students who study abroad have better grades, experience less attrition and graduate from college at higher rates than students who do not study abroad. They also have a competitive edge on the job market. Yet, fewer than 10 percent of American undergraduates study abroad, and only one quarter of those are from underrepresented groups.
