Comparative Data on Race & Ethnicity in Education Abroad by Percentage of Students [2025]

My colleague Katie Lorge, Program Operations Manager at EdOdyssey, and I have been collaborating well over a year to update and maintain the Comparative Data Table on Race & Ethnicity in Education Abroad. Utilizing the most current data available based on the latest Open Doors publication we present this up-to-date data table for you to review and analyze. We hope that this annual comparison provides interesting insights and serves as a tool for institutions or organizations to assess their own race and ethnicity data for any and all uses relevant to you.

[Click on Image to Enlarge]

References

 

American Association of Community Colleges. (2024). AACC Fast Facts 2024. https://www.aacc.nche.edu/researchtrends/fast-facts/

 

Fund for Education Abroad (FEA). (2024, December). Comparative Data on Race & Ethnicity of FEA Awards 2022-2023 by Percentage of Students. Data obtained from Joelle Leinbach, Program Manager at the Fund for Education Abroad. https://fundforeducationabroad.org/  

 

Institute of International Education. (2024). Profile of U.S. Study Abroad Students, 2024 Open Doors U.S. Student Data. https://opendoorsdata.org/data/us-study-abroad/student-profile/  

 

Institute for International Education. (2024). Student Characteristics: U.S. Students Studying Abroad at Associate's Colleges Data from the 2024 Open Doors Report. https://opendoorsdata.org/data/us-study-abroad/community-college-student-characteristics/

 

Institute for International Education. (2022, May) A Legacy of Supporting Excellence and Opportunity in Study Abroad: 20-Year Impact Study, Comprehensive Report. Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship. https://www.gilmanscholarship.org/program/program-statistics/ 

 

United States Census Bureau. (2020). DP1 | Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics, 2020: DEC Demographic Profile. https://data.census.gov/table?g=010XX00US&d=DEC+Demographic+Profile  

 

U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics. (2023, August). Characteristics of Postsecondary Students. https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/csb/postsecondarystudents

Bibliography of Literature, Presentations & Curriculum Integration Projects Incorporating the Comparative Data Table on Race & Ethnicity in Education Abroad

Comp, D. & Bakkum, N. (2025, January). Study Away/Abroad for All Students! – Who Studies Away/Abroad at Columbia College? Invited presentation for faculty at the Winter 2025 Faculty and Staff Development Days at Columbia College Chicago.

Lorge, K. & Comp, D. (2024, April). A Case for Simple and Comparable Data to Assess Race and Ethnicity in Education Abroad. The Global Impact Exchange: Publication of Diversity Abroad. Spring 2024. https://www.diversityabroad.org/GlobalImpactExchange 

Comp, D. (2019). Effective Utilization of Data for Strategic Planning and Reporting with Case Study: My Failed Advocacy Strategy. In. A.C. Ogden, L.M. Alexander, & Mackintosh, E. (Eds.). Education Abroad Operational Management: Strategies, Opportunities, and Innovations, A Report on ISA ThinkDen, 72-75. Austin, TX: International Studies Abroad. https://educationaltravel.worldstrides.com/rs/313-GJL-850/images/ISA%20ThinkDen%20Report%202018.pdf  

Comp, D. (2018, July). Effective Utilization of Data for Strategic Planning and Reporting in Education Abroad. Invited presentation at the ISA ThinkDen at the 2018 ThinkDen meeting, Boulder CO.

Comp, D. (2010). Comparative Data on Race and Ethnicity in Education Abroad. In Diversity in International Education Hands-On Workshop: Summary Report and Data from the Workshop held on September 21, 2010, National Press Club, Washington, D.C. (pp. 19-21). American Institute For Foreign Study. https://www.aifsabroad.com/publications/

Stallman, E., Woodruff, G., Kasravi, J., & Comp, D. (2010, March). The Diversification of the Student Profile. In W.W. Hoffa & S. DePaul (Eds.). A History of US Study Abroad: 1965 to Present, 115-160. Carlisle, PA: The Forum on Education Abroad/Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad.

Comp, D., & Woodruff, G.A. (2008, May). Data and Research on U.S. Multicultural Students in Study Abroad. Co-Chair and presentation at the 2008 NAFSA Annual Conference, Washington, D.C.

Comp, D.  (2008, Spring). U.S. Heritage-Seeking Students Discover Minority Communities in Western Europe.  Journal of Studies in International Education, 12 (1), 29-37.

Comp, D.  (2007). Tool for Institutions & Organizations to Assess Diversity of Participants in Education Abroad. Used by the University of Minnesota Curriculum Integration Project.

Comp, D. (2006). Underrepresentation in Education Abroad - Comparative Data on Race and Ethnicity. Hosted on the NAFSA: Association of International Educators, “Year of Study Abroad” website.

Comp, D. (2005, November). NAFSA: Association of International Educators Subcommittee on Underrepresentation in Education Abroad Newsletter, 1 (2), 6.

Past IHEC Blog posts about the Comparative Data Table on Race & Ethnicity in Education Abroad

Tool for Institutions & Organizations to Assess Diversity of Participants in Education Abroad [February 15, 2011]

How Do We Diversify The U.S. Study Abroad Student Population? [September 21, 2010]

How do we Diversify the U.S. Study Abroad Student Profile? [December 8, 2009]

Looking for Annotated Bibliographies on Education Abroad Related Topics?

...then look no further!  You can access (almost) all that I have compiled or have been involved with via the following NAFSA webpage:

Happy Researching!  (Yes, I know some of the links need updating! I can't solve that at the moment!)

New Book "Promoting Inclusion in Education Abroad: A Handbook of Research and Practice" has now been added to Bury Book International Education Library & Archive

Promoting Inclusion in Education Abroad: A Handbook of Research and Practice edited by Heather Barclay Hamir and Nick Gozik, with Forward by Esther Brimmer, and co-published by Stylus Publishing and NAFSA in 2018. I just received this book yesterday in the mail!

I have a co-authored chapter with Lily Lopez-McGee (lead) and Eduardo Contreras entitled "Underrepresentation in Education Abroad: A Review of Contemporary Research and Future Opportunities"

More information on the book as well as a .pdf of Chapter One is available here.

Forthcoming Book: "Promoting Inclusion in Education Abroad: A Handbook of Research and Practice"

A forthcoming book I contributed a chapter to entitled Promoting Inclusion in Education Abroad: A Handbook of Research and Practice will be published later this year by Stylus Publishing.

The book is edited by Heather Barclay Hamir and Nick J. Gozik, with Foreword by Esther Brimmer, and includes the following chapters:

Table of Contents:
Part I: Framing the Discussion
1) Introduction: The Case for Equitable Access in Education Abroad
2) The Changing Face of U.S. College Students
3) Underrepresentation in Education Abroad: A Review of Contemporary Research and Future Opportunities (my chapter with Lily Lopez-McGee and Eduardo Contreras Jr. - Many thanks to Lily for leading our efforts with this chapter!)

Part II: Research & Practice
4) Students of Color and Study Abroad: From Barriers to Results
5) First-Generation College Students and Study Abroad: Examining the Participation Gap and Successful Strategies for Promoting Access
6 There and Back Again: A Study Abroad Journey with Men
7) Commitments that Work: Removing Barriers for Students with Disabilities in Education Abroad
8) Promoting Education Abroad Among Community College Students: Overcoming Obstacles and
Developing Inclusive Practices
9) Strategies for Mobilizing Students in the Sciences: A Case Study
10) Engineers Abroad: Opportunities for Sophomores in International Education
11) Undocumented Students and Access to Education Abroad

Part III: Next Steps
12) A Way Forward: Advocacy and Action
13) Concluding Thoughts and Moving Forward

I will post to IHEC Blog with more details once the book is available for purchase. You can read more about Promoting Inclusion in Education Abroad: A Handbook of Research and Practice here.

Progress Being Made in Diversifying The U.S. Study Abroad Student Profile but More Needs to be Done!

Institute of International Education. (2016). "Profile of U.S. Study Abroad Students, 2004/05-2014/15." Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange. Retrieved from http://www.iie.org/opendoors