Almost half of DU’s junior class, 346 students, studied abroad last quarter under the new Cherrington Global Scholars (CGS) program.

The program’s trial run sent students to over 100 institutions in 35 foreign countries.

The new program sparked an 83 percent increase in students studying abroad over the 2003 fall quarter.

“It’s a combination of being a very attractive matter to students in terms of financial concerns and our dedication to raising student consciousness for study abroad,” CGS Director George Boyd said. “It was very effectively communicated and had a big impact on the students.”

DU’s tuition remains the same for all of the Cherrington programs, and is on-par with studying on campus. The program also pays for the students travel costs and housing.

“Most of our programs are not unique, but our support of the students is,” said Boyd. “We cover the visas, additional costs, and housing. In some cases, the housing might cost us three times what the student would pay here.”

According to Boyd, that financial bargain will be what keeps participation high and the CGS program unique.

“Our program is extremely generous,” he said. “Even though study abroad has been a growing area in U.S. higher education and it is still growing, our program might be too generous for widespread emulation.”

DU ranked fifth in study abroad before last quarter, but Boyd expects the school to move up in rank.

Though he admits that the fall quarter numbers surprised the Cherrington team, Boyd said that the program’s goals are even higher.

“We are aiming for 60 percent of bachelor graduates to have a study abroad experience of a quarter or more,” he said.

Of course, the financial perks are only one part of why CGS and the university recommend that students study abroad.

The program’s supporters tout the experience as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

“One reason for recommending studying abroad is that the educational and cross-cultural experience is a real opportunity for personal growth,” said Boyd. “It’s an opportunity to see and experience another culture and to see your own culture from the benefit of distance and share it with others.”

According to Boyd, though the mandatory final evaluations from some students are still pending, the student response to the experience has been largely positive.

“The Cherrington program made things a lot easier,” said Jennifer Woltil, a junior who studied in Aix-en-Provence in southern France. “It would have been a lot more expensive and difficult to go otherwise.”

Chris Rush, a student who studied in Brisbane, Australia, said the unique aspects of the CGS program influenced his decision to study abroad.

“It was such a great experience. Everything was awesome,” he said. “It’s so easy to go here at DU and it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”