From Argentina to Australia, Bolivia to Belgium, the University of Denver sends its students around the world each year to take part in study-abroad programs that help shape their lives and careers. According to the 2014 Open Doors report released in November by the Institute of International Education (IIE), DU is No. 1 in the nation among national doctoral and research institutions in the percentage of undergraduate students who participate in study-abroad programs. The University ranked fourth last year.
The report, which reflects data from the 2012–13 academic year, shows that DU sent 71.7 percent of its undergraduates abroad, ahead of schools such as Yale, Stanford, Notre Dame and Dartmouth. The University’s 14-year-old Cherrington Global Scholars program, which allows eligible students to spend a quarter abroad with no additional cost for tuition, room and board, was a major factor in DU’s first-place ranking.
“Studying abroad is a critical element of a DU student’s education. Understanding the complexities of the world while taking academic classes abroad is a game-changer,” says Denise Cope, director of study abroad at the University of Denver. “Research indicates that intercultural development, language learning and attitudinal and behavioral changes occur as a result of study abroad.”
The IIE reports that the top destination for students nationally was the United Kingdom, which is the same for DU students, followed by Spain, which is where DU senior Justine Henderson studied in fall 2014.
“When deciding which college to go to, it really came down to DU’s emphasis on study abroad that made me choose [it as] my university,” Henderson says.
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