Miami ranked No. 4 among all U.S. institutions for the total number of students sent abroad, according to the latest Open Doors® report released by the Institute of International Education (IIE) on Monday, November 14. Additionally, Miami is among the top five public doctoral institutions for the percent of undergraduates who study abroad. This report covers the 2020-2021 academic year.

Open Doors is a comprehensive information resource on U.S. students studying abroad for academic credit at their home colleges or universities. This survey of international exchange activity in the United States is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. Government and supported in its implementation by IIE.

During the 2020-2021 academic year, 391 Miami students earned study abroad credit, traveling to 19 different countries. As in previous years, a majority of students who studied abroad did so through the Miami University John E. Dolibois European Center in Luxembourg or on faculty-led programs. This was a particularly impressive accomplishment in a year when many other universities canceled their programs entirely.

Ryan Dye, director of Education Abroad, said, "Overall, what helped us is that we did not impose a blanket ban on study abroad, but rather took a program-by-program context-based approach. That required a lot of work, as we had to do a deep dive into each program location and analyze its status, but it enabled us to run several programs."

In addition to the work done by Dye's team and Global Initiatives associate vice president Cheryl Young, staff from Miami's Luxembourg program (MUDEC) played an important role. The decades-long relationship enjoyed by Miami University and Luxembourg made it possible to run programs during fall and spring semesters that year, despite pandemic protocols that affected many international travel destinations.

Raymond Manes, executive director of MUDEC, said, "It was indeed a challenging period for us, but every single staff member was committed to the well-being of our students. We literally re-invented the Château and every step of our program to account for the new protocols."

Dye also credited Miami's leadership for placing their trust in the Global Initiatives team. "As a result, we were able to run more programs than many universities and colleges did," he said.

"Miami University continues to emphasize the importance of a global experience, whether that happens at home or abroad. Our students are enthusiastically embracing the opportunities offered to learn about cultures,
ideas, and values practiced by people around the world. They are broadening their worldview, and they find their place within the global community while they gain a better understanding of their own identities," said Cheryl Young, associate vice president of Global Initiatives.

The Open Doors report is released yearly during International Education Week.