Arcadia University continues as a top university in the United States for study abroad. Arcadia is ranked #1 for the percentage of undergraduate students participating in a study abroad experience of master’s level schools, according to the Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange 2012, released by the Institute of International Education (IIE). Arcadia has been in the top rankings each year since 2004.

“In the jobs and careers our students will have in their lifetimes, they must be globally-aware and globally-engaged,” says Arcadia University President Carl (Tobey) Oxholm III. “We are proud to have such a high percentage of our students who graduated last year have an academic experience in another culture. Studying abroad is a transformational experience, and that is why we make sure Arcadia is a gateway to the world by offering affordable opportunities to all of our students.”

Toward this mission, Arcadia University has succeeded in pioneering innovative programming while continuing to offer affordable study abroad opportunities and scholarships to not only Arcadia students, but to thousands of undergraduate students across the United States through The College of Global Studies.

“This number-one ranking is due to the efforts of Arcadia’s faculty and staff to fulfill our mission as a University both in Glenside and around the world,” says Dr. Nicolette DeVille Christensen, Vice President of The College of Global Studies at Arcadia University. “Higher education is moving in a global direction and this is evidence that Arcadia is out in front as a leader. IIE provides a remarkable record of transformation in the international educational landscape.”

Arcadia’s “Preview” program, subsidized by the University, gives freshman and transfer students an introduction to study abroad over Spring Break and serves as an integral part of the First-Year Experience at Arcadia. Preview began in 1994 with one destination—London. Since then the program has expanded to feature faculty-led, credit-bearing courses, leading students to explore 16 countries this spring.

Arcadia also pioneered the First Year Study Abroad Experience (FYSAE) in 2003, taking a group of 60 freshmen to London to start their college careers. Since then, Arcadia has sent more 500 freshmen abroad through the FYSAE program.

The national Open Doors 2012 rankings report on international education is by the Institute of International Education (IIE) with funding from the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

The Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange is published by the Institute of International Education, the leading not-for-profit educational and cultural exchange organization in the United States. IIE has conducted an annual statistical survey of campuses regarding the international students in the United States since 1919, and with support from the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs since the early 1970s. The census is based on a survey of approximately 3,000 accredited U.S. institutions. Open Doors also conducts and reports on separate surveys on U.S. students studying abroad for academic credit (since 1985), and on international scholars at U.S. universities and international students enrolled in pre-academic Intensive English Programs. Read more.