WPI ranks second in nation for percentage of students abroad

This past Monday, November 13, 2000, the Institute of International Education released a report that ranked colleges on the percentage of students who study abroad. Among schools in the United States that award doctorates, WPI placed second in the percentage of students sent abroad. Dartmouth College was ranked first.

For the school year, 1998-1999, 251 WPI students studied abroad. The IIE estimates that the percentage participation is 31%. For the previous year, 1997-1998, the participation rate was 18.3%, which placed WPI eighth in the rankings. Next year it is estimated that more than one-third of students will participate.

The students at WPI go abroad through the Global Perspective Program. Students go abroad to complete one of the required projects. The IIE's rankings only include those students who went to a project center that is outside of the United States. We also have project centers in Boston, Washington, DC, Silicon Valley, the Goddard Space Center, the Johnson Space Flight Center, Worcester, and San Juan, Puerto Rico. The total number of students estimated for this current year is 445, up from 361 for the 1999-2000 academic year.

Paul Davis, the Dean of Interdisciplinary and Global Studies here at WPI, says that, "our ranking is exciting." He notes that WPI is competing closely with non-engineering schools. He noted that engineering students are generally under stricter curriculum constraints that make it harder for those students to study abroad. He also noted that among the ranked schools, few were engineering and science schools. Paul Davis noted that there is a survey that compares the number of engineering students that study abroad. He notes that WPI generally places near or at the top.

Paul Davis said that the estimate that more than one-third of WPI students will study abroad is a "safe projection". He said that most of the growth in the next few years would be in the number of students that complete their MQP or their Sufficiency abroad. He also noted that he hopes to give graduate students the opportunity to do part of their work abroad. He notes that there will be increase of "double and triple-dippers" over the next few years. Those are students that complete two or three of their projects abroad.

Paul Davis noted that, "this ranking is due to the commitment of faculty and staff and to the good work of a lot of students." He also said, "If the program wasn't good, it wouldn't grow, and it being good depends on faculty and staff as well as students."