Study Abroad Rankings Released by Abroad101
New York, NY (PRWEB) March 25, 2015 -- Abroad101, America's first and largest study abroad review website, released its fourth annual Study Abroad Rankings today in partnership with StudentUniverse, the travel booking site for students. The rankings are the result of compiled evaluations from US university students who attended short-term, credit-bearing study abroad programs overseas. The 2014 rankings recognize the study abroad programs and locations rated highest by American students who have studied abroad.
Study Abroad has many options including a range of program size, scope, and location. This breadth of programming is reflected in Abroad101's study abroad 2014 rankings. The majority of the top-ranked programs are in Europe with Italy having three. The list also includes three top-ranked programs in Australia and two in China. Sydney was the only city with two top programs.
The Abroad101 2014 Top 10+ Study Abroad Programs, including the program's provider are:
1. Sol Education Abroad: Study Abroad & Spanish Immersion in Heredia
2. The Education Abroad Network (TEAN): Gold Coast - Bond University
3. American College Dublin
4. IES Abroad: Programs in Vienna
5. Loyola University Chicago: The Beijing Center
6. Santa Reparata International School of Art: Florence
7. Northwestern College: Romanian Semester Program
8. Sant'Anna Institute: Sorrento
9. University of New South Wales: Sydney
10. Alliance for Global Education: Shanghai - International Business in China
11. Duke in Istanbul
12. CEA: Rome, Italy
13. DIS - Danish Institute for Study Abroad: Copenhagen
14. CAPA International Education: Sydney Study or Intern Abroad
In addition to the highest rated programs, Abroad101 released a list of Top Study Abroad Providers, the organizations that operate these programs. Top honor goes to SOL Education Abroad, an organization that specializes in Spanish Language programs. Upon hearing the news, co-founder Esteban Lardone said: "When we started Sol Education Abroad our mission was very simple: to treat our students the way we wanted to be treated when we studied abroad. Ten years later, our mission has not changed and it is heartwarming to see this reflected in the students' reviews." Lardone continues with "The high ratings are the result of our onsite directors who work night and day for our students and our Austin headquarters team. We would like to thank our affiliate and partner universities for directing great students to us. Most of all, we would like to thank each and every student that has decided to take a leap and explore the world through our programs."
The rest of the Top Providers, listed in order, are: The Education Abroad Network (TEAN), CAPA International Education, IES Abroad, CEA, Academic Programs International (API), AIFS, SAI Programs, USAC, Stephen F. Austin State University (SFA), The School for Field Studies (SFS) and CiS Abroad.
A strong area of growth in study abroad has been through summer programs, which allow students added flexibility on what they study, and enhance elective courses with the powerful impact of immersion in the subject area. The variety of summer programs is demonstrated in the list of Top Summer Abroad Programs:
1. ThisWorldMusic: Music, Arts and Culture in Ghana
2. The GREEN Program: Sustainability and Renewable Energy Abroad (Iceland)
3. New York University: NYU Summer in Dublin
4. Forum-Nexus: Forum-Nexus: Tour Across Europe
5. Hanyang University: Seoul - International Summer School
Jeremy Cohen, Founder & Director of the top rated summer program, stated “We are deeply honored to see this recognition from our students, and view it as a tribute to ThisWorldMusic's hard-working staff, both in the U.S. and in Ghana. Special thanks to the Dagbe Cultural Institute in the village of Kopeyia for welcoming us into the community and enthusiastically sharing traditional West African music, dance and culture with these students.” Ghana, host to this top summer abroad program, was also on the list of Top-rated Non-Traditional Countries and Top Budget-Friendly Destinations.
Thailand was voted most Budget-Friendly, followed by India, Ecuador, and Peru. Favorable shifts in the value of the dollar are one reason these countries were rated so highly. Smaller cities dominated the Most-Livable Cities list with Gold Coast, Wellington, Heredia, and Alicante leading the students' choices. Even food comes into focus with Thailand's Chiang Mai edging out two traditional Italian favorites for the Top Foodie City. The rest of the rankings along with review highlights and program listings are now available at: http://www.StudyAbroad101.com/rankings
“With study abroad becoming more of a part of college life, Abroad101's unique way of capturing program evaluations and publishing them in the popular review format is helping break down barriers and increase opportunities for students” says Mark Shay, the CEO of Abroad101. “Students look for and trust the opinions and experiences of other students, and the compilation of review ratings serves as a useful tool in their decision-making. Reviews also give students and their parents/advisors insight into what to expect while away. We see the rankings as an important way to celebrate what is working in study abroad; reading the first hand accounts of student successes abroad show the positive impact study abroad has on students" concludes Shay.
"Studying abroad not only shapes a person, but is often cited as one of the most memorable experiences of their lifetime," said Mike Cleary, chief commercial officer, StudentUniverse. "Our mission is to make global experiences possible for students and youth. This involves helping students travel abroad cheaper, allowing them to go further and spend less. It also involves flexibility. Students may not know their exact return date when they go abroad. The pricing on our one-way fares helps students travel flexibly, without breaking the bank. We are proud to partner with Abroad101 on such an important facet of student travel."
Under the direction of their academic advisors, students complete thorough online evaluations hosted by Abroad101 with both quantitative and qualitative responses. With a database of over 23,000 evaluations, the Abroad101 rankings provide an in-depth tally of student opinion on study abroad programs. For the 2014 rankings, many thousands of reviews were processed and 1,472 different programs received reviews.
About Abroad101:
About Abroad101: Founded in 2007, Abroad101 is the first and largest study abroad review website. Focusing on American college students looking for a semester or term abroad, this innovative platform connects past and future students, parents and advisors, and program providers through its market-leading online evaluation tool. Abroad101 grew from one partnership at Tufts University in 2007 to over 215 college partnerships today. The resulting Abroad101 directory of study abroad programs is the most comprehensive database in the field today.
To learn more, visit http://www.StudyAbroad101.com
About StudentUniverse:
StudentUniverse is is the world’s leading travel booking site for students that offers unique pricing and terms on flights, hotels and tours. Our unique pricing and terms are negotiated specifically for students, and some deals are also available for 18-25 year olds, through contracts with dozens of world-class partners and more than 70 airlines worldwide. StudentUniverse’s Travel Services department manages bookings for groups of 10 or more.
StudentUniverse launched in 2000, and has headquarters in Boston and offices in London, Toronto, New York and the Philippines. StudentUniverse believes that travel is essential to a modern education. Millions of students use our service every year. For real-time updates on StudentUniverse, follow our corporate Twitter, LinkedIn and Corporate blog and download our mobile application. To learn more visit http://www.StudentUniverse.com
Mark Shay, Abroad101, http://www.StudyAbroad101.com, +1 610-357-4648, [email protected]
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