As Brown students traveled back to College Hill to kick off the spring semester, 255 of their classmates flew to study abroad programs in countries across the globe.
This academic year, the University has sent around 420 students — including those currently abroad — to complete a portion of their studies outside the U.S., according to Malik Blue, senior associate dean of the College for study abroad.
The most popular destinations this year were Denmark, England, France, the Netherlands, Scotland and Spain, Blue added.
Of these 420 students, 32% of them chose Brown-administered study abroad programs, while 68% chose external exchange programs, which are University-approved programs facilitated by international partner organizations, according to Blue.
Outside of these programs, students can petition to study abroad in locations that are not already approved. Brown also offers study abroad experiences through the International Honors Program, a third-party program in which students travel to two or three countries throughout the semester.
Margo Donohue ’26, an international and public affairs and environmental studies concentrator, studied abroad in fall 2024. She said her experience in Morocco, Nepal and Ecuador with the IHP Climate Change: The Politics of Land, Water and Energy Justice program was an opportunity for her to engage deeply with the cultures of three diverse countries.
“Adapting to a place where English (is) not the dominant language was definitely relevant to a lot of the things I’ve learned at Brown,” Donohue said. “Applying my skills in a multicultural context was something that I was really excited” about.
Reflecting on her semester abroad, Donohue added that living at a homestay enhanced her experience and allowed her to form close connections with her host family.
“I knew I wouldn’t be able to go to places like Morocco, Nepal or Ecuador and know how to get the most out of it without” studying abroad, Donohue said.
For the fall 2025 semester, Brown plans to introduce new language immersion study abroad programs in some countries in Europe, Africa and South America.
New offerings also include an IHP cultural immersion program called Death and Dying, which explores how various cultures around the world navigate death. Students in the program will study in Ghana, Indonesia and Mexico.
Next fall, Braydon Brewster ’27 hopes to study abroad in Denmark under the DIS Copenhagen program, in which students can choose from 29 different academic programs while engaging in Danish culture and language.
The study abroad application was “really easy,” Brewster said. “I think it’s just (difficult) finding somewhere that you want to go.”
Students planning to study abroad can only have one active application at a time, according to Brown’s study abroad advising website.
As an economics concentrator, Brewster noted that a major appeal of DIS Copenhagen is that it would allow him to travel to neighboring countries for field trips and explore businesses in countries such as France, Germany and Ireland.
“I come from a super small town, so I want to study abroad to gain more exposure and interact with more cultures,” Brewster said.
Study abroad programs in English-speaking countries are popular among students, making these programs more competitive, said Liam Cohen, a study abroad advising fellow. Cohen often hosts information sessions and one-on-one advising meetings for students, helping them plan out their experiences abroad and assisting them in the application process.
“Going to study abroad can be kind of intimidating, so more than anything, (advisors) are here to answer questions,” Cohen said. “We help students plan out concentrations, make sure they’re getting their credits and ensure that they’re going abroad safely.”
Hayden Rains ’27, a political science concentrator, said she hopes to study abroad in Amsterdam during the spring 2026 semester.
“Amsterdam is one of my favorite places I’ve visited in Europe,” Rains wrote in a message to The Herald. “I think studying abroad is an extremely important experience in terms of getting out of your comfort zone, immersing yourself in new cultures and self-development as a whole.”
