Kayla Hart
More U of A students participated in global learning experiences last school year than ever before.
A record 1,255 students studied abroad in the 2022-23 school year, a more than 10% increase over the previous record of 1,130 students in the 2018-19 school year. Student participation rates remained at 8%, three points higher than the national average of 5%.
“The high quality of our faculty-led programs and strong faculty engagement transforms students’ lives, helping students make connections between themselves, Arkansas and the world,” said Sarah Malloy, director of study abroad and international exchange.
Students traveled to 42 countries, with Italy continuing to be a top locale. A total of 609 U of A students traveled to the country last school year for a study abroad experience, including 340 students studying at the Rome Center. With 103 students, the fall 2022 semester marked the largest number of participants who studied at the Rome Center for a semester in the history of the program.
“We are happy to see continued growth in student participation at the Rome Center,” said Francesco Bedeschi, director of the Rome Center. “Participation during the spring 2024 semester is set to break another record and, above all, will see the largest participation of students from Walton College and Fulbright College ever. We are on the right path to make the European hub of the University of Arkansas increasingly accessible to students.”
Other top destinations included the United Kingdom with 119 students, Spain with 92, Japan with 75, Chile with 50 and the Republic of Ireland with 47.
The Sam M. Walton College of Business sent the most students abroad last school year, with nearly 400 students. The Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences had 311, and the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design rounded out the top three with 165 students.
The Office of Study Abroad and International Exchange also continues to create opportunities for underrepresented students by raising awareness of scholarship opportunities to fund study abroad excursions, including the Gilman Scholarship. 40% of U of A students who applied for the Gilman Scholarship received it, a sizable increase above the national average of 25%.
“Katie Sabo dedicates countless hours of service and talent equipping study abroad team members as well as study abroad champions at the Writing Studio to mentor students for the Gilman Scholarship,” Malloy said. “Students are winning this award at a higher than average rate thanks to her strategic and student-centered spirit.”
Kayla Hart, a fourth-year architecture student, studied abroad this summer at the Rome Center. The experience offered her the opportunity to study the history of architecture in one of the premier architecture locales in the world.
“Studying in Rome gave me a chance to apply the architectural history and theory classes that I had taken before moving abroad,” she said. “My favorite memories while studying abroad include the many places I was able to visit, as well as the experience I gained through my internship program. The internship program also allowed me to experience the work culture in Italy, which is not something I could have experienced outside the program.”