Hamline University is a leader in Minnesota when it comes to sending students on study abroad opportunities.

According to the new Open Doors report released this week by the Institute of International Education and the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, Hamline ranked first in Minnesota and ninth in the nation of universities of its kind in engaging the largest number of students in study abroad opportunities.

The Open Doors study examined data from 3,000 U.S. colleges and universities during the 2008-09 academic year.  More than 260,300 students from these colleges spent time earning academic credit abroad, a small decline from the previous year. Overall, Minnesota schools sent 9,050 students abroad last year; 626 of them were from Hamline.

More than 35 percent of Hamline’s undergraduate students participate in a study abroad experience during their college career. There are also an increasing number of opportunities for students in Hamline’s law school, graduate programs and MBA program to study in Germany, Spain and Finland or to complete a paid internship in Shanghai or Beijing, China.

“Hamline has worked hard to strategically and carefully build our study abroad programs, so that we can maximize the number of students, faculty, and staff participating,” said Dr. Kari Richtsmeier, assistant dean of international and off-campus programs.

“We are proud of the increasing numbers of undergraduate and graduate students taking advantage of programs around the world—from York, England to Saint Louis, Senegal," Richtsmeier continued. "Most recently, we have developed a new relationship with the Shanghai Institute of Foreign Trade, which will allow students to not only improve their Chinese language skills, but also gain a deeper insight into one of the most important nations in the world. Our success in study abroad is due to the deep commitment of the Hamline University community to globalize our curriculum and campus.”

Minnesota schools ranked as follows: in the ‘Top 40 Doctorate Institutions,’ the University of Minnesota ranked 6th in the nation, with 2,347 students studying abroad.

In the ‘Top 40 Master’s Institutions,’ Hamline University ranked 9th in the nation with 626 students, St. Cloud State University was 31st with 408 students, and the University of Minnesota Duluth was 36th with 348 students.

In the ‘Top 40 Baccalaureate Institutions,’ St. Olaf ranked first in its category with 680 students, St. Johns University/College of St. Benedict were fifth with 550 students, Carleton College was 13th with 409 students, Concordia College was 15th with 378,  and Macalester was 31st with 308 students studying abroad.

The Open Doors report is published by the Institute of International Education, the leading not-for-profit educational and cultural exchange organization in the United States. IIE has conducted the annual statistical survey of the international students in the United States since 1949, and with support from the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs since the early 1970s. For more information, click here.