Our Global Identity
Boston University is anything but insular. We look beyond our classrooms and borders. You’ll find our students and faculty in more than 75 countries, on seven continents, including Antarctica, pursuing research, study, and service. Back on campus, stroll up and down Comm. Ave. and you’ll hear countless languages and dialects. Our professors, students, and researchers hail from more than 140 countries. It should come as no surprise that BU launched the nation’s first collegiate international exchange program more than a century ago. Engaging with people, ideas, and pressing issues that impact the world has always been vital to the University’s mission. Simply put, global engagement is in our DNA.
Community by the Numbers
5,464 |
Number of international students enrolled in classes on BU’s Charles River and Medical Campuses. |
141 |
Countries represented at BU—from China, India, and Saudi Arabia to Japan, Turkey, and Kazakhstan. |
1,000 |
Foreign nationals from 91 countries teaching and working at BU, from short-term researchers to lecturers and tenure-track professors. |
51 |
International alumni groups around the globe, with China, India, Pakistan, and Canada boasting multiple networks. |
1,246 |
Number of BU alums who have served in the Peace Corps since 1961, placing the University 20th among all-time producers of volunteers. |
18 |
BU’s national ranking for number of alums with bachelor’s degrees currently serving in the Peace Corps (as of 2010). |
25,078 |
Hours that 3,490 BU students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends volunteered at the 2011 Global Day of Service in 55 cities around the world. |
MED Students Without Borders
BU medical students learn about global health by running health education camps for children, working in clinics and hospitals, and living with host families in Ecuador. Video included.
BU Today Global Stories
- BU Abroad: Hands-on in Dublin February 2, 2012
- Solar Storm Hits Earth January 25, 2012
- The World Watches North Korea January 11, 2012
- As Protests Against Putin Mount, Where Is Russia Headed? December 13, 2011
- Cairo, Up Close and Personal December 12, 2011
- Ho Chi Minh Gets with the Program November 22, 2011
- BU Launches Urban Health Initiative November 1, 2011
BU + Global Higher Education
BU President Robert A. Brown articulates his four-pronged global vision for the University in this May 2011 essay.
