Webster Named a Top University for Study Abroad and International Students

Webster University was named on two national lists by the Open Doors Project. The first was for being one of the top master’s-conferring institutions in the United States for hosting international students, and the second was for being in the top 100 for sending undergraduate students to study abroad. Open Doors is produced by the Institute for International Education (IIE), a collaborative project from the U.S. State Department and the U.S. Department of Education that tracks study abroad trends in higher education. 

According to the latest report, which was released this week, among all 1,500 colleges and Universities in the United States that are tracked by IIE, Webster was ranked in 70th place, putting it in the top 5%. Webster also was in fifth place nationally and second in Missouri among all master’s-granting colleges and Universities for enrolling international students in the U.S. In the 2024-2025 academic year, Webster hosted 4,180 international students in the U.S., up from 2,761 in the previous year. 

This is the fourth time in a row that Webster was named a top academic institution for international students, and the second time that Webster was in the top 10 nationally.

“As the first in my family to study abroad, I chose Webster not only for its strong academic reputation but also because so many alumni spoke highly of the support they received there,” said Kevin Paul Chandra Palaka, a student from India who is earning a master’s degree in Cybersecurity. “That proved true from the moment I arrived. Webster’s global community made my transition remarkably smooth; being surrounded by people who understood what I was experiencing helped me adjust quickly and offered a clear, encouraging pathway into the U.S. education system.”

In a second report, also released this week by IIE, Webster was named as one of the top master’s-conferring institutions for undergraduate participation in study abroad. Ranked in 29th place nationally among master’s granting institutions and in second in Missouri, nearly one-third of all graduating undergraduates last year had participated in a study-abroad opportunity at Webster during their academic journey. This surpassed the national average of 10% participation and was an increase from Webster’s rate last year of 23%.

This is the fourth time in five years that Webster has been recognized in the top 40 for study abroad, and the fifth time since 2009 that Webster made the list.

Information about Webster’s study abroad programs and international admissions can be found online. For more information about the IIE report and how it collected data, visit the Open Doors website.