Dear SCU Community,

This week, November 17-21, is the 25th annual International Education Week (IEW). For 25 years, IEW has celebrated programs that prepare students for a global environment and attract future leaders from abroad to study, learn, and exchange experiences. At this moment, in particular, the international higher education community has come together to celebrate the values and impacts of international higher education and to recognize:

• International students who traverse borders and cultures to pursue their dreams
• U.S. students who study abroad to move out of their comfort zone to develop skills for their academic trajectory, career and personal development
• Universities that champion international students, education abroad, and global partnerships, choosing openness and collaboration over isolation
• Faculty and staff who support international students and students abroad
• Communities across the global that benefit from cultural exchange

The 2024-25 International Higher Education national data (IIE Open Doors) was released today, and you can see the national data on the IIE Open Doors website. In 2024-25, the U.S. saw a record number of 1.17 million international students studying across the country. The number of U.S. students who study abroad continues to rebound from the pre-COVID peak in 2019, and in 2023-24, approximately 300,000 students studied abroad.

At SCU, our 2025-26 data is now live, which the SCU community can access on our website. In 2025-26, SCU has 1,533 international students, including 932 enrolled students and 601 students on post-graduation employment (Optional Practical Training-OPT). As well, in 2024-25, 537 SCU undergraduate and graduate students participated in credit-bearing programs abroad.

As you know, SCU’s Strategic Plan Impact 2030 Priority One: Reach on a Global Scale calls for increasing the number of students who participate in programs abroad and the number of international students who study at SCU. International students at SCU and SCU students abroad advance Global Learning and Internationalization at SCU, extending SCU’s Values of Academic Excellence; Engaged Learning; Truth, Goodness, and Beauty; Engaged Learning; and Community and Diversity within a global community framework.  

I invite you to join us for IEW this week to celebrate international higher education and Global SCU!

Best,

Susan Popko, Associate Provost for International Programs