The 20 most popular colleges for studying abroad

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20. Dickinson College

20. Dickinson College

Location: Carlisle, Pennsylvania

Education Abroad at Dickinson immerses students in the study of foreign language. Three categories of study abroad — Dickinson Programs, Partner Programs, and Non-Dickinson Programs — all offer semester- or year-long courses abroad.

Nearly 70% of students who study abroad and 40% of Dickinson faculty participate in 15 Dickinson Programs in more than a dozen countries.

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19. University of Delaware

19. University of Delaware

Location: Newark, Delaware

The Institute for Global Studies at UDel coordinates over 70 study-abroad programs annually. This fall, UDel is leading trips to a dozen countries including Japan, Italy, Portugal, and France.

UDel also offers winter and summer programs that last anywhere from three to five weeks, and offers one or two courses in a variety of disciplines.

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18. Georgetown University

18. Georgetown University

Location: Washington, D.C.

As a university dedicated to global study where students say their peers are "extremely well aware of the world around them," Georgetown is unsurprisingly seasoned at sending students abroad.

There are 160 programs available in 40 countries through Georgetown in area studies, language immersion, business, nursing, and service learning.

17. George Washington University

17. George Washington University

Location: Washington, D.C.

The Office for Study Abroad at GW maintains a list of over 300 programs in 60 countries for both semester- and year-long study-abroad trips.

GW Study Programs are available in Chile, England, France, and Spain, and are supported by GW staff domestically and abroad. The GW Undergraduate Exchange, in contrast, offers academic immersion in one of 40 education exchange partner programs around the world. A scholarship is available for up to $1,500.

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16. New York University

16. New York University

Location: New York, New York

Students "tout the great study abroad programs" at NYU; the school has academic centers in 11 cities worldwide, including Accra, Ghana; and Tel Aviv, Israel. As a comprehensive global university, NYU has well-established "study away" programs.

15. Syracuse University

15. Syracuse University

Location: Syracuse, New York

SU Abroad has more than 60 World Partner programs where students can enroll, pay tuition, receive grants, and retain scholarships and financial aid through Syracuse while abroad. These programs appeal to students interested in a specific school, country, or area of study, like attending film school in Prague or studying biodiversity in Madagascar.

Syracuse also has eight centers abroad that host SU students in five European countries as well as Turkey, China, and Chile.

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14. Suffolk University

14. Suffolk University

Location: Boston, Massachusetts

Suffolk offers its students the chance to participate in a semester-long study-abroad program, or to study at the school's Madrid campus where they can even begin their bachelor's degrees and find an internship for up to two years before returning to the States.

13. Susquehanna University

13. Susquehanna University

Location: Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania

Students at Susquehanna are required to participate in the Global Opportunities (GO) program and have the option of a GO long semester, GO short semester, or GO Your Own Way program. According to the school's site, the study abroad requirement "grew out of a faculty desire to challenge students in their understanding of and engagement with cultural difference."

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12. Union College (NY)

12. Union College (NY)

Location: Schenectady, New York

Union offers more than 50 term and mini-term (three week) study-abroad opportunities, both domestically and overseas. Most of the programs are led by Union faculty, so student-teacher mentorships can move beyond the classroom. Cuba is among new destinations added this year.

11. Kalamazoo College

11. Kalamazoo College

Location: Kalamazoo, Michigan

Kalamazoo's website touts its study-abroad opportunities as "not so much an international 'experience' as an international 'immersion.'" Most students study abroad for at least six months at one of 42 programs available in 23 countries.

Kalamazoo students also take part in Integrative Cultural Research Projects in which they choose an activity of interest that benefits the local community and spend their time abroad researching and reflecting.

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10. Worcester Polytechnic Institute

10. Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Location: Worcester, Massachusetts

The Global Projects program at Worcester Polytechnic Institute is world-class. The program provides students the opportunity to work on professional-level projects at one of 40 WPI project centers spanning the globe, from Silicon Valley to Shanghai.

9. Earlham College

9. Earlham College

Location: Richmond, Indiana

Earlham College places great importance on study-abroad opportunities for its students. Both international and domestic options are available for semester-long programs, including a unique Border Studies Program to Tuscon, Arizona, for an in-depth study on immigration.

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8. Carleton College

8. Carleton College

Location: Northfield, Minnesota

Carleton College employs a faculty-led program model that extends "The Carleton Experience" off-campus. This year, the school is offering 18 study-abroad programs led by faculty and sponsored by a number of academic departments. Destinations include Ireland, France, and Russia.

7. St. Lawrence University

7. St. Lawrence University

Location: Canton, New York

St. Lawrence invites students to apply for 25 different semester- or year-long programs as well as an additional nine programs which are operated by the university. St. Lawrence programs include domestic and international excursions from the Adirondacks to Kenya to London.

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6. University of San Diego

6. University of San Diego

Location: San Diego, California

A huge percentage of USD students travel abroad to study, research, or intern through the university's 135 programs in 44 countries.

In 2014, USD opened its first international permanent center in Madrid, which coordinates homestays and aids students participating in the Madrid semester program.

5. Centre College

5. Centre College

Location: Danville, Kentucky

Centre College is No. 1 in the nation in terms of percentage of students (85%) who study abroad without requiring it, according to its website. All eight of its semester programs are staffed and run by Centre in Spain, China, England, Japan, Ireland, Mexico, Scotland, and France. Students also have the option to study abroad for a shorter winter or summer term on nearly every continent.

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4. University of Denver

4. University of Denver

Location: Denver, Colorado

DU is committed to its comprehensive study abroad experiences, which is why students have the opportunity to become Cherrington Global Scholars — a scholarship program that off-sets study abroad costs for qualifying students. Other options for students interested in going abroad include applying to a DU partner program or unaffiliated international program.

3. University of Dallas

3. University of Dallas

Location: Irving, Texas

The University of Dallas' flagship study-abroad program at its Rome campus has been in operation for 45 years. Through the program, students spend a semester living in an Italian villa, studying Western tradition, and attending mass at The Vatican.

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2. Goucher College

2. Goucher College

Location: Baltimore, Maryland

Goucher students are required to study abroad at least once through a semester, year-long, three-week, summer, or internship program in one of 32 countries.

The school also provides a list of additional international fellowship and volunteer opportunities for returning students who have been "bit by the travel bug."

1. Elon University

1. Elon University

Location: Elon, North Carolina

Studying abroad is a hallmark of an Elon education. The Isabella Cannon Global Education Center facilitates more than 100 semester, winter term, and summer programs spanning the globe. Elon's most popular destinations are Florence, London, and Costa Rica, where Elon operates its own centers abroad.

Elon is also expanding its Study USA programs at its domestic centers in Los Angeles, New York, Alaska, and Washington, D.C.

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