New York University sent more students to study abroad than any other American college or university in 2003-04, according to a study by the Institute of International Education (IIE). This is the second consecutive year NYU has topped the list.

Overall, the IIE study found that U.S. study abroad increased by 9.6 percent in 2003-04, the most recent academic year in which these data were widely available. During the 2003-04 academic year, 2,475 NYU students studied abroad, followed by Michigan State (2,269), UCLA (2,034), the University of Texas at Austin (2,011), and Penn State (1,874). The total number of U.S. students studying abroad in 2003-04 reached an all-time high of 191,321. Since the 2000-01 academic year, the number of U.S. students studying abroad has gone up by almost 20 percent.

“We are of course very happy with this recognition,” said Yaw Nyarko, NYU’s vice provost for globalization and multicultural affairs. “We have worked very hard with the faculty and administrators from the individual schools and departments, and designed academic programs at our overseas sites which, we believe, our students find intellectually rewarding. We are planning on opening new sites in Asia and Latin America, and expect the number of students going to our overseas campuses to significantly increase within a short period of time.”

Florence was the top destination for NYU students during the 2003-04 year, with 717 studying in the Tuscan city. It was followed by London (359), Madrid (196), Paris (185), and Prague (129). Other locations for study abroad included Shanghai, Cape Town, Havana, and St. Petersburg. NYU’s study abroad program in Ghana opened during the 2004-05 academic year and drew 48 students.

The national results, which appear in Open Doors 2005, the annual report on international education published by the Institute of International Education with funding from the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, will be discussed at a press briefing on Nov. 14th at the National Press Club in Washington, DC, in conjunction with the nationwide observance of International Education Week. Additional information may be obtained at www.opendoors.iienetwork.org.

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