CU Boulder ranks 5th Nationally for Study Abroad Participation
Students participating in the Global Seminar: Communication, Culture, & Sport with a CU flag in Trafalgar Square
After another record-breaking year of study abroad participation, CU Boulder ranks 5th nationally as a sender for semester-long study abroad programs in the 2023-24 school year among 2000 peer institutions, per a new report released by Open Doors on November 17th, 2025. The Open Doors Report, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, includes statistics on U.S. students studying abroad for academic credit. CU also ranks 13th, up from 14th in 2022-23, for 13th for Leading Institutions Awarding Credit for Study Abroad. This new data comes in time for International Education Week 2025, which runs from November 17th-21st.
In the 2023-2024 Academic Year, CU Boulder Education Abroad sent 2,289 students abroad. The most popular term to study abroad remains Spring, accounting for 1,186 participants in Spring 2024 alone. In Spring 2025, internal data shows 1,661 students went abroad, an impressive 40% increase. Education Abroad is currently poised to maintain this upward trend with 2,051 students preparing to go abroad in Spring 2026 as of November 14th. Application data from this same date in November 2024 indicates another 25% of participant growth from the previous year.
This growth data comes following a variety of initiatives driven by Education Abroad over the past years to continue to promote awareness of international education and expand new opportunities for students.
In the effort to promote awareness of the many destinations offered beyond Western Europe, Education Abroad’s Region of the Year was Latin America. In addition to offering a $2,000 scholarship to all students who chose to study in Latin America, Education Abroad held campus events including craft nights, info sessions, and a food festival on Farrand Field with delicious treats from the region. The initiative will remain active for Summer 2026 Latin America applicants, and the new Region of the Year will debut for the Fall 2026 applicants.
As access is a top priority for Education Abroad, the office has expanded an existing pilot program in partnership with CIEE, one of our study abroad providers, to offer programs to students in SASC, MASP, MLS, & some CMDI students at very low cost. This coming year, Global Intensive: CMDI Race, Anti-Black Racism, and Communication (Santiago & Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic), Global Intensive: MASP Social Justice in Latin America (Buenos Aires, Argentina), and Global Intensive: MLS Dynamics of Power & Leadership (Barcelona, Spain) will join Global Intensive: SASC Constructions of Knowledge (Santiago & Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) in this innovative subset of programming.
ArtistiCO performers at Education Abroad & CIEE's Latin America Food Festival on Farrand Field
For first year students, Education Abroad continues to offer the CU Global Start: First Semester in London program to incoming freshmen. This program allows students accepted to the Program for Exploratory Studies, Arts & Sciences and the College for Media, Design and Information to spend their first semester living and learning in London with other students, honing their resourcefulness and intercultural skills from the very start of the college career. “CU Global Start helped me gain independence and confidence in myself and my ability to navigate the world on my own. It also gave me amazing memories, experiences, and lifelong friendships,” said Fall 2024 participant Gracie Mackley.
“CU Global Start helped me gain independence and confidence in myself and my ability to navigate the world on my own. It also gave me amazing memories, experiences, and lifelong friendships." - Gracie Mackley, Fall 2024 Global Start participant
Finally, Education Abroad remains committed to providing financial support to CU students to ensure that any student who wants to go abroad can. Nearly a third (32%) of all 2,840 students who studied abroad in Academic Year 2024-2025 applied for Buffs Abroad Scholarships. 794 students, or over 80% of those who applied, received an award, averaging over $2,000 per student. This includes the 67 students who, in addition to other awards, received our Explorer Scholarship to study abroad in Latin America. In the past academic year, Education Abroad has also expanded our partnerships with departments on campus, introducing new scholarship opportunities for students majoring in Environmental Studies.
Education Abroad is excited to continue to offer opportunities to study, intern, and research abroad in over 65 different countries around to world, and looks forward to the growth this year continues to bring. Anyone interested in more information about Education Abroad can visit colorado.edu/abroad, or connect with the office in C4C S355 regarding study abroad programs, credits, and finances. The world awaits!