A study from the Institute of International Education found that the number of U.S. students studying abroad has significantly increased since 9/11, while the number of international students coming to the United States to study has significantly decreased.
Undoubtedly, it's good that more American students are going abroad. Not only is it beneficial for students to live in a new and different society, but it's beneficial for America. In some ways, students abroad are more effective than ambassadors. Their everyday interactions with citizens of the host country will affect the citizens' perception of America, hopefully for the better.
Historically, Americans are less likely to hold a passport than citizens of other countries, due partly to the vastness of the States and few countries around our borders, so this development is a good sign that hints at an increase in citizens' open-mindedness.
However, the fact that fewer international students are coming to America to study is a bad sign that reflects an increasing international perception that America is unwelcoming. Additionally, not only do they feel unwelcome in this country, but U.S. visa laws make it difficult to get into the country. This is bad because the more people you have coming here from different societies, the wider perspective U.S. citizens have and the better sense others have of Americans.
Additionally, the Department of Commerce said that international students are a huge and multifaceted industry, so the decline in international students hurts the economy as well. Hopefully, individual universities and the State Department will work on fighting the stereotype of America as unwelcome, so more international students will be interested in coming to the United States.
The study also found that AU's abroad program ranked 12th out of U.S. doctoral/research universities for undergraduate involvement in an abroad program. It would be good to see AU go even higher in rank in the future. Currently 887 students study abroad. If AU could send more than 1,000 undergrads, the school would be ranked with the likes of big schools like NYU and Michigan State.
Hopefully as AU Abroad continues to expand to sites on six continents, it will also strive to ensure these programs are not just advertised, but are of high quality for students. Students can likely expect AU Abroad's reputation and numbers to grow further and place on the Open Doors study next year, as well.
