Ranked No. 1: BYU Had Most Students Who Studied Abroad

April 2024

The Institute of International Education’s 2023 Open Doors Report names BYU as the top university in the United States for the number of students who studied abroad this past academic year, with 2,878 BYU students taking part in 204 BYU study abroad programs located in 61 countries. The number of students also includes those who toured internationally with a performing group.

V. Stanley Benfell, BYU Kennedy Center director and an associate international vice president, explains, “As we emerged from the pandemic, BYU students were eager to travel and get back out across the world.”

Kennedy Center associate director Cory Leonard says, “These learning experiences bring global awareness, cultural competence, and language and area studies expertise. They make a difference in students’ academic, professional, and personal lives.”

BYU has long been one of the top schools for study abroad participants, but this is the university’s first time in the top spot. Once the ranking was announced, alumni from around the world chimed in. Here are just two of their comments:

“I was so lucky to have studied abroad in London and Jerusalem. Those experiences were formative.” [edited]
— Juliette B. Qureshi, vice president of public relations and media communications at BILT Incorporated 

“My year abroad was invaluable. It completely changed the trajectory of my studies and career.” [edited]
— Jonathon Tichy, honorary consul to the Czech Republic and BYU adjunct faculty member