WPI Receives High Marks for Student Participation in Study Abroad

Worcester Polytechnic Institute ranks fifth in the nation in one measurement of undergraduate participation in study abroad programs among leading doctoral universities, according to the Open Doors 2024 Report on International Educational Exchange. The report, released November 18 as part of the U.S. Department of State’s and the U.S. Department of Education’s International Education Week, is a comprehensive information resource on a variety of topics including international students and scholars, and students studying abroad for academic credit. 

“We are incredibly proud of the scale at which WPI is able to offer off-campus project-based learning at locations around the world,” says Mimi Sheller, Dean of The Global School which administers WPI’s distinctive Global Projects Program. “When students have opportunities to apply their knowledge out in the world in interdisciplinary teams and in partnership with diverse cultures, they develop new perspectives, become well-equipped to lead, and are meaningfully enriched, personally and professionally.” 

The 2024 report relies on data from the 2022-23 academic year, in which 758 U.S. students at WPI participated in a study abroad program for credit, representing an estimated 75.7% participation rate in study abroad. The report, however, only includes U.S. undergraduate students studying outside the U.S.  

Looking more holistically at WPI, however, an estimated 85% of undergraduates participate in an off-campus, immersive project experience at least once during their time at WPI. The Global Projects Program offers students opportunities at more than 50 WPI project centers (in the U.S. and internationally). The 85% figure is inclusive of all undergraduate students, not just U.S. students, and of domestic project center locations for study away opportunities, not just international sites. 

One way that WPI supports broad participation in off-campus learning opportunities is through the Global Scholarship. All full-time undergraduate students at WPI are eligible to receive a one-time institutional scholarship of up to $5,000 to defray some of the costs of an off-campus project experience through the Global Projects Program. 

“The Open Doors report and this high ranking for student participation in study abroad is one example of WPI’s demonstrated success in and commitment to creating opportunities for students of all backgrounds to study off-campus,” says Kathleen Head, director of the Global Experience Office. “WPI has shown through our Global Projects Program that students in STEM can benefit immensely from education abroad and intercultural learning.” 

Open Doors is published by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and the nonprofit Institute of International Education.