St. Olaf ranks in top 5 for study abroad
St. Olaf College ranks No. 4 among all baccalaureate colleges across the country in the number of students who studied abroad during the 2022–23 academic year, according to the Open Doors 2024 Report on International Educational Exchange.
“The St. Olaf community is delighted to once again be in the top five of baccalaureate institutions in the number of students studying abroad,” says Smith Center for Global Engagement Director Jodi Malmgren ’92. “What sets St. Olaf apart is our institutional commitment to international education: our Board of Regents, our president and her leadership team, our faculty, and our staff all support study abroad. We weave it into our strategic planning, we give incomparable financial assistance, we develop high-quality programs and partnerships, and we mentor and support students from across our diverse student body. Our students depart for study abroad well-prepared, and they return to campus with enhanced global perspectives.”
“What sets St. Olaf apart is our institutional commitment to international education … We weave it into our strategic planning, we give incomparable financial assistance, we develop high-quality programs and partnerships, and we mentor and support students from across our diverse student body.”
— Smith Center Director Jodi Malmgren ’92
St. Olaf currently offers study abroad/away programs in more than 40 countries around the world, including faculty-led semester programs like Global Semester and a wide range of January term programs. It’s an opportunity that most St. Olaf students take advantage of, with 62 percent of the Class of 2024 participating in at least one study abroad/away program.
Students can work with the Smith Center for Global Engagement to find a program that fits their interests, and the college provides robust financial support to ensure all Oles have the opportunity to study abroad/away. In recent years St. Olaf alumni have made transformational gifts that have enabled Oles to participate in two of the college’s signature study-abroad programs for the same cost as studying on campus. And a new scholarship pilot for the 2025-26 and 2026-27 academic years will enable all students with a family income below $300,000 to participate in the full range of Smith Center-approved semester and academic year study abroad/away programs for the same cost as studying on campus.
This level of support is one of the factors that has enabled St. Olaf to remain a leader in study abroad for decades. This year marks the 75th anniversary of the Open Doors report, and St. Olaf received the organization’s Seal of Excellence for participating in the report since its inception in 1949.
Open Doors is the comprehensive information resource on international students in the United States and on the more than 200,000 U.S. students who study abroad as part of their academic experience. The Institute of International Education publishes the Open Doors report annually with funding from the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.