Today marks the first day of International Education Week 2015. To kick off the week, the Institute of International Education (IIE)and the US Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs held a briefing on the Open Doors 2016 report at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. This report covers annual data on study abroad and trends in student mobility.

This year’s briefing revealed the following major trends in the 2013/14 academic year:

1. There was a 5.2% growth rate in the number of US students studying abroad – over double the growth rate in 2012/13.
2. The UK remains the leading destination country for US students studying abroad with 13% of the market share. Of the top 25 destinations for US study abroad, the UK attracted more American students than the rest of the Anglophone speaking countries combined.
3. The number of US students studying abroad in the UK has increased by 6% to 38,250 students.
4. Of US students studying abroad, STEM majors are the highest proportion (23%) followed by business and management majors (20%) and social science majors (19%).
5. The average duration of American students’ study abroad has fallen, with only 2.9% of students spending the entire academic year studying abroad. The majority of students favour shorter-term programs, with 32% of Americans studying abroad for one semester.
6. 46,000 Americans are pursuing full-degree programs abroad, and this number is increasing yearly.
7. There were major shifts in the top places of origin of international students coming to the US. Students from India increased by 29% while those coming from Brazil rose by 78%.