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1949IIE publishes Education for One World IIE, in cooperation with the Committee on Friendly Relations Among Foreign Students, begins a comprehensive data collection effort to record data on international students from every U.S. higher education institution. In this inaugural year, IIE gathers data from the 1,115 colleges and universities hosting international students and publishes the information (for 35 cents a copy) as a resource for organizations and individuals working with international students. |
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1955The publication is expanded and renamed Open Doors IIE renames the report Open Doors, suggesting a sense of hospitality as the United States welcomes students and scholars from across the world and a recognition of the diversity of ideas, perspectives, and opportunities that result from international educational exchange. In this report, IIE expands data collection to include visiting faculty and scholars at higher education institutions and foreign physicians training as interns or residents at U.S. hospitals. |
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1956The first information on U.S. students studying abroad is published Acknowledging the impact of international experiences on U.S. students who have studied abroad, IIE initiates a survey of overseas higher education institutions within 75 countries and political areas. In its first year, IIE receives information from institutions in approximately 49 countries, with the most popular destinations for U.S. students being Canada and Mexico. |
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1966Open Doors is identified as an authoritative data source on international exchange by the U.S. government The Open Doors publication is submitted as evidence of the level of international education exchange during the Senate debate on the International Education Act of 1966 (Committee on Labor and Public Welfare, 1966). Open Doors continues to be cited across the U.S. government, including remarks entered into the Congressional Record on the “Importance of International Students and Scholars in the United States” by the Chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs (Engle, 2019). |
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1972IIE receives a grant from the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State to support the Open Doors project To this day, the U.S. Department of State continues to support IIE’s annual surveys of international educational exchange to understand the complete picture of student mobility as the United States works to strengthen ties with countries worldwide. Copies of the publication are distributed to U.S. Embassies and shared with the State Department’s EducationUSA network to assist advisers promoting study in the United States. |
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1975The Open Doors methodology is reconfigured The Open Doors Joint Taskforce on Data Collection, established in 1974 and comprised of IIE, American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, NAFSA: Association of International Educators, and the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, institutes a change in the survey methodology. Data collection moves from colleges and universities providing data on each individual student to aggregate numbers. Following this change, the number of institutions reporting to Open Doors expands from approximately 1,750 colleges and universities in the early 1970s to 2,600 institutions by the late 1970s. |
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1978First data collection on intensive English programs (IEPs) IEPs have historically been an entry point for international students coming to the United States and a pathway for further study. IIE began conducting an annual survey to learn more about IEP participation in 1978. The first data revealed that 23,607 international students studied at an IEP in the United States. |
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1987First data collection on U.S. students studying abroad for academic credit reported by U.S. institutions Open Doors begins a renewed effort to gather comprehensive data on U.S. study abroad for academic credit directly from U.S. institutions. In this first reporting year, U.S. colleges and universities reported that 48,483 students received academic credit for study in another country. |
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2001IIE initiates Project Atlas® to gather global mobility data IIE convened key governmental agencies, non-governmental organizations, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, and the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization to support an initiative to develop a shared framework for measuring and understanding international mobility. Project Atlas complements Open Doors by gathering comparable international student mobility data from partners around the world to measure the growth of international student flows worldwide. The project includes more than 30 national-level data collection partners. |
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2020Open Doors provides critical analyses during the COVID-19 pandemic Due to the wide-ranging impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, Open Doors includes a special section called COVID-19 in Context that highlights key analysis of the effects of the health crisis on international student and scholar mobility. |
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2024IIE celebrates 75 years of Open Doors data collection IIE awards 642 U.S. colleges and universities with the Open Doors 75 Seal of Excellence, congratulating their success in reporting to Open Doors in 1949 and 2024. In 2024, nearly 2,000 U.S. institutions reported across the four Open Doors surveys. |
Open Doors is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. Government and supported in its implementation by IIE.
IIE’s mission is to help people and organizations leverage the power of international education to thrive in today’s interconnected world. IIE’s work focuses on advancing scholarship, building economies, and promoting access to opportunity.
The U.S. Department of State leads America’s foreign policy through diplomacy, advocacy, and assistance by advancing the interests of the American people, their safety and economic prosperity.
EducationUSA is a U.S. Department of State network of over 430 international student advising centers in more than 175 countries and territories. EducationUSA is committed to promoting the diversity of U.S. higher education to help international students find their best fit.
USA Study Abroad is a U.S. Department of State entity focused on expanding and diversifying study abroad opportunities for U.S. students to gain critical skills in support of our national security and economic prosperity.