The Pandemic Restricted the Number of U.S. Students Studying Abroad, But the Gender Gap Remained Huge

According to the Institute of International Education’s latest annual Open Doors report, which provides detailed information on foreign students who come to U.S. colleges and universities and U.S. students who study abroad, women make up a large percentage of U.S. college and university students who choose to study abroad.

The total number of U.S. students studying abroad decreased by more than 53 percent in the 2019-2020 academic years due to the global pandemic and restrictions on travel. In the 2018-19 academic year, 347,099 U.S. students studied abroad. In the 2019-20 academic, the number was only 162,333.

Of the 162.333 American students who studied abroad in the 2019-2020 academic year, 67.4 percent were women. This is up slightly from the previous academic year and is the highest percentage of women among the study abroad pool in this century.