Providence College recognized for study abroad program

PROVIDENCE – Providence College made the top 20 in an annual ranking of higher education institutions with the most students studying abroad.
Providence College tied with Suffolk University in Boston in the mid-length duration of study abroad category for master’s colleges and universities. They both had 221 students study abroad in that category for the 2012-2013 school year, the most recent year available.
The list, which also ranked long-term and short-term stays, was featured in the Open Doors Report by nonprofit Institute of International Education in New York.
This was the first time the college made the top 20, according to a college spokeswoman.
“It’s gratifying to see how study abroad has become more integral to the curriculum and the academic expectations of our students,” Adrian Beaulieu, dean for the Center for International Studies at Providence College, said in a statement. “The college is increasingly becoming a ‘world college’ as we incorporate many more international study and experiential learning opportunities as part of the four years that students spend here.”
The Center for International Studies administers the study abroad program at the college. Providence College offers more than 300 year-long, semester-long and short-term study abroad programs across the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Central America, South America and Europe.
Rhode Island School of Design also made the list in the category of special focus institutions, ranking fourth with 29 study abroad students.
Stonehill College in Easton ranked 20th in the baccalaureate colleges category, with 234 study abroad students.
The 2014 Open Doors report was released this week. It found that in the 2012-2013 academic year, 289,408 American students studied abroad for academic credit, an increase of 2 percent over the previous year. Study abroad by American students has more than doubled in the past 15 years, from about 130,000 students in 1998-1999.

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