(Posted November 14, 2018)

Kati Csoman, Dean of International Education 

Kati Csoman, Dean of International Education 

HUNTINGDON, Pa.—Juniata College is ranked at number 14 among national liberal arts colleges for students undertaking long-term study abroad by the Institute of International Education (IIE) in its annual report, Open Doors 2018.

Juniata has appeared in the top-20 list of “Leading Institutions by Long-Term Duration of Study Abroad” among baccalaureate-granting institutions since the 2012 report. “Long-term duration” is considered an entire academic year at a single abroad site. “Baccalaureate colleges” refers to colleges that award primarily four-year degrees, or private liberal arts colleges.

While roughly 40 percent of recent Juniata graduates study abroad at some point during their time earning a degree at Juniata, not everyone studies away for a full academic year. Many students opt for a single semester or a shorter, multi-week experience, depending on their academic plans.  

“Juniata’s commitment to supporting long-term study away is compelling, given the many learning benefits for students that come from total immersion in another culture and place,” says Kati Csoman, dean of international education at Juniata. “It is also worth noting that, for this report, a long-term experience has to happen in one place. Many of our students study away for a year but do so in more than one location, and this report does not reflect that.”

Juniata is tied at number 14 with Bowdoin College, Oberlin College, and Lewis and Clark College. Tied at 12 are Kenyon College and Vassar College, while Pomona College, Trinity College, and Linfield College rank directly below Juniata.

"Our faculty support having students go abroad and we work as a college to make the opportunity affordable and to be flexible so students can make the plans necessary to enhance their education in this powerful way." --Kati Csoman

In the 2016-2017 year, the last year for which IIE had data, 17 Juniata students spent a full year studying away. “If we counted students studying in more than one place,” Csoman notes, “it would have been a number closer to twice that.”

Csoman also notes that other colleges on the list make study abroad a requirement for their students. Juniata does not require study abroad, although the newly approved Juniata College Curriculum has an explicit expectation of global engagement, an element students can satisfy through international study.

“Our presence in the IIE Open Doors report in this category for several years now speaks to the institutional commitment Juniata makes to study abroad,” Csoman says. “Our faculty support having students go abroad and we work as a college to make the opportunity affordable and to be flexible so students can make the plans necessary to enhance their education in this powerful way.” 

Contact April Feagley at feaglea@juniata.edu or (814) 641-3131 for more information.