Just in time for International Education Week, the Institute of International Education released its Open Doors Report 2018 on international enrollment and U.S. students who study abroad during college.
St. Thomas is ranked 10th in the nation for undergraduate study abroad participation at doctoral schools, once again landing in the top 10. St. Thomas also has the most international students (673) among private universities in Minnesota and remains fourth in the state overall for international enrollment.
"The annual Open Doors Report shows the University of St. Thomas’ continuing commitment to comprehensive internationalization," said Senior International Officer and Associate Vice Provost for Global Learning and Strategy Timothy Lewis. "Sending students abroad and bringing international students to campus helps our community embrace differences, learn from each other, and remain relevant. These accomplishments depend upon the dedicated staff in the Office of International Students and Scholars and the Office of Study Abroad. The successes grow from the commitment of St. Thomas faculty and staff to leading courses abroad and rely upon the whole community welcoming international students to campus."
Minnesota saw an increase in study abroad participation, sending 8,612 students outside the United States in 2016-17, up from 8,577 the previous academic year. The top countries of destination were the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, France and Germany.
The report includes recent rankings of international students studying in the United States. With 15,695 international students studying in Minnesota for the 2017-2018 academic year, the state once again ranked 19th in the nation for its total number of foreign students. This indicates a 2 percent increase over the previous academic year. It is estimated international students in Minnesota brought in close to $500 million in revenue to the state.
Total international enrollment across the country grew slightly by 1.5 percent to 1,094,792 students, while the number of the new international students enrolling for the first time in U.S. institutions fell by 6.6 percent (from 290,836 in 2016-17 to 271,738 in 2017-18).
The top five countries of origin of international students were China, India, South Korea, Saudi Arabia and Canada.
An International Celebration Fair will be held on Thursday from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Anderson Student Center Father Dorsey Way.
St. Thomas’ international student enrollment by the numbers:
