The Education Abroad Office may be small, sitting at a team of seven full-time staff members, but it’s a powerhouse. During the 2022-2023 school year alone, Education Abroad sent more than 1,700 undergraduate students to pursue international educational experiences, and the office boasts an impressive portfolio of study abroad programs in 85 different countries. 

Promising benefits from promoting on-time graduation and boosting employability to fostering personal growth and increasing independence, it’s easy to see why studying abroad is such a critical part of so many students’ educational journeys. Yet, at the University of South Carolina, the diligence, dedication and innovation of the Education Abroad Office staff members and their campuswide partners elevates the study abroad experience to another level.  

Others are taking notice. In a recent Institute of International Education report, the university retained a number of high rankings for doctoral institutions. Among peer institutions, USC ranks No. 18 for overall number of students studying abroad, placing it at fourth in the SEC. With a No. 10 ranking for students engaged in mid-length (semester-long) study abroad trips and a No. 17 ranking for students engaged in long-term study abroad, USC leads the SEC in both metrics. 

But numbers alone can’t capture the full story. According to Morgan Inabinet, director of education abroad, it comes down to the people involved. “The campuswide effort and the support from leadership, all the way from President Amiridis to every academic advisor on campus, is what’s helped make us this successful,” she says. “We really appreciate our education abroad champions who are spread across campus: faculty members, staff members and academic advisors who really plant the seed and get students thinking about study abroad.” 

David Cárdenas, associate vice president and vice provost for global affairs, is quick to highlight those efforts that lie uniquely in the hands of the education abroad staff. “Morgan and her team are amazing at what they do,” he says. “They have a personal touch with every single student. They work closely with all of our faculty to ensure that our trips are impactful, safe and meaningful. They care for the success of our students, and they care for the overall mission of the university.”  

Another key to the team’s success is their remarkable ability to make international education a possibility for any student. Between finances and less-flexible majors that require students to be on campus at specific times in their academic careers, there are many obstacles that can stand in the way of students and their study abroad dreams.  

This need not be the case. 

“We have a wide profile of opportunities so that students can fit study abroad into their academic career here at USC,” says Inabinet. “If they come to us freshman or sophomore year, we can come up with a plan.” 

Thanks to the education abroad team’s diverse range of short-term and long-term opportunities scattered across disciplines and regions (Europe, Latin America, Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, Australia and New Zealand), the number of students who are able to study abroad — especially those in subject areas that traditionally did not have high participation numbers — continues to grow.  

As a critical player in the University of South Carolina’s outbound internationalization efforts, the Education Abroad Office’s success in serving students has even laid the groundwork for what is expected to be one of the university’s largest-ever spring study abroad cohorts. It’s a promising reflection on the cultivation of a university climate where beyond-the-classroom learning, personal growth and global perspectives are valued. 

“We’re an institution of higher education, so we know the value of education and the value of travel,” Cárdenas says. “So when you combine two amazing learning opportunities into one, it’s one of the most impactful, meaningful experiences that any student can have.”