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News

Top Destinations of American Study-Abroad Students, by Region, 2014-15 and 2015-16

Almanac 2018 August 19, 2018

Britain, Italy, and Spain were the top destinations for American students who received credit for study abroad in 2015-16. More than half of such students headed for Europe. Outside Europe, the top destinations were China, Australia, and Costa Rica. Less than 4 percent of study-abroad students went to sub-Saharan Africa, but that region experienced an increase of nearly 20 percent from 2014-15 to 2015-16. Among the three top destinations in each subregion, Gambia and Ghana, both in West Africa, saw the greatest one-year increases in American students’ studying abroad.

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Britain, Italy, and Spain were the top destinations for American students who received credit for study abroad in 2015-16. More than half of such students headed for Europe. Outside Europe, the top destinations were China, Australia, and Costa Rica. Less than 4 percent of study-abroad students went to sub-Saharan Africa, but that region experienced an increase of nearly 20 percent from 2014-15 to 2015-16. Among the three top destinations in each subregion, Gambia and Ghana, both in West Africa, saw the greatest one-year increases in American students’ studying abroad.


Return to the Almanac home page, or go to the Profession, Students, Finance, or States section. To purchase a copy of the Almanac in print or as a downloadable interactive PDF, visit the Chronicle Store. Help guide us to give you the data you need by taking our 10-minute online Almanac survey.


Destination2015-162014-15One-year
change
2015-16
percentage
of total
AFRICA, SUB-SAHARAN 12,738 10,647 19.6% 3.9%
East Africa 3,384 2,919 15.9% 1.0%
Tanzania 1,254 1,216 3.1% 0.4%
Uganda 722 527 37.0% 0.2%
Kenya 681 634 7.4% 0.2%
Central Africa 99 152 -34.9% 0.0%
Cameroon 53 92 -42.4% 0.0%
Equatorial Guinea 22 17 29.4% 0.0%
Gabon 14 20 -30.0% 0.0%
Southern Africa 7,185 6,542 9.8% 2.2%
South Africa 5,782 5,249 10.2% 1.8%
Botswana 266 279 -4.7% 0.1%
Zambia 262 299 -12.4% 0.1%
West Africa 2,070 1,034 100.2% 0.6%
Ghana 1,564 737 112.2% 0.5%
Senegal 281 199 41.2% 0.1%
Gambia 73 25 192.0% 0.0%
ASIA 36,193 35,713 1.3% 11.1%
East Asia 25,122 24,825 1.2% 7.7%
China 11,688 12,790 -8.6% 3.6%
Japan 7,145 6,053 18.0% 2.2%
South Korea 3,622 3,520 2.9% 1.1%
South and Central Asia 4,980 5,162 -3.5% 1.5%
India 4,181 4,438 -5.8% 1.3%
Nepal 370 368 0.5% 0.1%
Sri Lanka 145 121 19.8% 0.0%
Southeast Asia 6,091 5,726 6.4% 1.9%
Thailand 2,093 2,096 -0.1% 0.6%
Vietnam 1,012 922 9.8% 0.3%
Singapore 969 1,080 -10.3% 0.3%
EUROPE 176,890 170,879 3.5% 54.4%
Britain 39,140 38,189 2.5% 12.0%
Italy 34,894 33,768 3.3% 10.7%
Spain 29,975 28,325 5.8% 9.2%
LATIN AMERICA & CARIBBEAN 53,105 50,298 5.6% 16.3%
Caribbean 10,257 8,344 22.9% 3.2%
Cuba 3,781 2,384 58.6% 1.2%
Dominican Republic 2,001 2,146 -6.8% 0.6%
Jamaica 1,153 1,047 10.1% 0.4%
Mexico and Central America 23,961 22,788 5.1% 7.4%
Costa Rica 9,233 9,305 -0.8% 2.8%
Mexico 5,178 4,712 9.9% 1.6%
Belize 2,703 2,590 4.4% 0.8%
South America 18,887 19,166 -1.5% 5.8%
Argentina 3,846 3,708 3.7% 1.2%
Ecuador 3,751 3,746 0.1% 1.2%
Peru 3,513 3,481 0.9% 1.1%
MIDDLE EAST & NORTH AFRICA 6,044 6,844 -11.7% 1.9%
Middle East 4,498 5,276 -14.7% 1.4%
Israel 2,435 3,317 -26.6% 0.7%
Jordan 969 985 -1.6% 0.3%
United Arab Emirates 718 619 16.0% 0.2%
North Africa 1,546 1,568 -1.4% 0.5%
Morocco 1,403 1,413 -0.7% 0.4%
Egypt 124 109 13.8% 0.0%
Tunisia 19 46 -58.7% 0.0%
NORTH AMERICA 1,716 1,569 9.4% 0.5%
Canada 1,716 1,569 9.4% 0.5%
OCEANIA 13,815 12,614 9.5% 4.2%
Australia 9,536 8,810 8.2% 2.9%
New Zealand 3,806 3,325 14.5% 1.2%
Fiji 266 249 6.8% 0.1%
ANTARCTICA 87 64 35.9% 0.0%
MULTI-DESTINATION 24,751 24,787 -0.1% 7.6%
WORLD TOTAL 325,339 313,415 3.8% 100.0%

Note: Data on American students who received credit for studying abroad in 2015-16 are based on a survey conducted by the Institute of International Education in partnership with the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The data represent 1,412 accredited institutions for 2015-16 and are compared with 1,399 institutions for 2014-15. The three countries that drew the most study-abroad students from the United States in 2015-16 are shown for each subregion. Percentage distribution may not add up to 100 percent because of rounding. Questions or comments on the Almanac should be sent to the Almanac editor.

Source: Institute of International Education. “Host Regions and Destinations of U.S. Study Abroad Students, 2014/15 to 2015/16" Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange, 2017.

A version of this article appeared in the August 24, 2018, issue.
Read other items in Students: Almanac 2018.
We welcome your thoughts and questions about this article. Please email the editors or submit a letter for publication.
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