College of Charleston ranks No. 4 among top schools for study abroad programs

The College of Charleston is, of course, world-class. But it’s the College’s classes around the world that have consistently earned the institution accolades for its international education programs.

The Institute of International Education (IIE) has ranked CofC as the No. 4 institution in the United States among the Top 40 master’s-level colleges and universities for the total number of study-abroad participants in the 2018-19 academic year. Of the 935 Cougars who studied abroad that year, 883 of them were undergraduate students. The College rose one spot from No. 5 the previous academic year.

The accolade comes as the College’s Center for International Education celebrates International Education Week, Nov. 16-20, 2020, with a series of virtual events aimed at providing information and tips to students interested in learning about study abroad opportunities.

“Study abroad is the highlight of a college education,” says Andrew Sobiesuo, associate provost of international education and the director of the College’s Center for International Education (CIE). “Not only does it get students out of their comfort zone and give them new and different experiences, but it also offers them a global perspective and helps them develop into productive citizens of the world. That is why I am so proud that the College stands out nationally in study abroad – and I am confident that education abroad will continue to be synonymous with CofC.”

The CIE offers a variety of avenues for international education including exchange programs with over two dozen partner foreign universities as well as CofC faculty-led programs for the semester, spring break and the summer. Course opportunities are available across academic disciplines in countries across the globe.

Together with the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, the IIE published the rankings in the 2020 Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange.