On October 4-8, with students back on campus for the fall 2021 semester, Learning Abroad held its first large-scale, in-person outreach event. The Fall Learning Abroad Fair featured information sessions by University of Utah Faculty Directors, meetings with Affiliate provider reps, scholarship workshop sessions, and an in-person event on Wednesday, October 6 highlighting Learning Abroad opportunities for students across campus.
Even with COVID-19 restrictions, the Wednesday in-person Fair went off without a hitch. The event saw around 250 students in attendance. The majority of those students were Freshmen and Sophomores who are in the early stages of planning to go on a learning abroad program.
The top three schools on campus with the most students in attendance at the Fair were the College of Social & Behavioral Science, the College of Humanities, and David Eccles School of Business, respectively. “The high rate of attendance and student engagement are very positive signs as we head towards our biggest application deadline of the year – February, 15 for Summer Faculty-led Programs,” said Daniel Watson, Learning Abroad Marketing & Technology Coordinator.
“At the start of this academic year, it was anyone’s guess what the enrollment picture would look like for Learning Abroad programs. After student travel being largely on hiatus since the beginning of the pandemic, we suspected that there would be a backlog of students wanting to go abroad. Now that programs are running, we are anticipating high enrollment numbers. The Fall Fair was a strong first indicator that students are still very interested in international education opportunities and are on the lookout for programs that fit their needs and budget. We are looking forward to a busy Spring and Summer for our U students abroad!” said Watson.
…
For more information on the Fall Fair and upcoming Learning Abroad events, please contact Learning Abroad’s Marketing & Technology Coordinator, Daniel Watson at daniel.watson@utah.edu.