UCLA sent the third-highest number of students to study abroad
of any four-year university during the 2003-2004 academic year,
according to the recent Open Doors report, an annual survey by the
Institute of International Education.
The number of UCLA students studying abroad has been sharply
increasing over the past decade, illustrating a nationwide trend
““ U.S. travel study increased 9.6 percent overall last
year.
UCLA’s success in sending students abroad is credited to
growing student interest in geopolitics, manageable costs and the
increasing opportunities the university offers to integrate travel
study into students’ degree requirements.
The Education Abroad Program, part of the UCLA International
Institute, and the UCLA Travel Study Program both allow students to
receive grades and University of California course credit for
studying at foreign universities.
Students’ growing awareness of their place in the
international community makes them want to experience other
countries, said Hadyn Dick, manager of UCLA Travel Study
Programs.
“Since Sept. 11, students have been more and more
concerned with global events,” she said.
Dick said though many students still follow the traditional path
by choosing to study in Europe, travel programs are also expanding
into Latin America and Asia.
“(These countries are) more and more in the spotlight as
these places are becoming … competition and also partners with
the U.S., and you can see that in student trends,” she
said.
Danilo Bonilla, interim administrative director of UCLA EAP,
said an effort has been made to connect departmental requirements
with education abroad opportunities.
“Every year, it seems like there’s more
communication, more interaction, more streamlining,” Bonilla
said.
EAP also works to make studying abroad as affordable as
possible.
Though students learning abroad with EAP still pay UCLA
registration fees, travel and living costs may differ. The program
helps students coordinate grants, scholarships and loans to offset
those higher costs, Bonilla said.
“The majority of our students get financial aid … so
it’s really feasible,” he said.
The UCLA Career Center also offers travel study options in
locations that may not be available through UCLA-affiliated
universities, though students can only accumulate units, not letter
grades, through the program.
Dario Bravo, the internship and study abroad services manager
for the UCLA Career Center, said students like to travel to see
what they learn about firsthand.
“They’re looking for insight into what’s out
there in the world,” Bravo said. “Our students are very
curious, and they’re not satisfied just reading about these
things in a book.”
UCLA sent 2,034 students abroad last academic year, according to
the report, ranking below only New York University, which sent
2,475, and Michigan State University, which sent 2,269.