UK honored for 75 years of international education

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Dec. 3, 2024) — The University of Kentucky has earned the Open Doors 75 Seal of Excellence for its 75 years of collaboration with the international Open Doors program.

The Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange is the only long-standing, comprehensive information resource on international students in the United States and on U.S. students studying abroad for academic credit. The report helps assess global education trends over time. Open Doors is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. Government and supported in its implementation by the Institute of International Education.

“We are honored to have partnered with Open Doors for 75 years,” said UK Associate Provost for Internationalization Sue Roberts, Ph.D. “The report is a key indicator of international trends, and our 75 years of participation in it highlights our commitment to internationalization at UK.”

In 1949, when UK first participated in the report, 31 international students were reported on UK’s campus. In 2024, 75 years later, the university has 1,690 international students, including recent international alumni working in the United States on Optional Practical Training.

“It is truly remarkable to be reminded of the long history we have at UK of welcoming international students,” said Roberts. “This is a history of which we can be very proud. It is the result of many past and current employees, alumni, community members and so many others who have been driven by a desire to make UK a welcoming and a global institution. There have certainly been challenges along the way, but the growth in international student numbers over the past 75 years indicates a positive trajectory for UK.”

Along with tracking international student enrollment, the report also tracks participation in education abroad. In the most recently available Open Doors education abroad data, from academic year 2022-23, 946 students from the University of Kentucky studied abroad in 35 countries around the globe.

“Our world is more global than ever,” Roberts said. “Increasingly, students will need to understand the world from a global perspective, and we are proud to see our education abroad numbers going up each year since the pandemic.  The real story of these numbers, now and historically, is about the deep and positive impacts on our university and our Commonwealth. We are very gratified to receive this honor.”