Dr. Greg McClure ’95, professor in App State’s Department of Learning, Teaching and Curriculum, center, is pictured with App State students and community members of Copal AA La Esperanza in Guatemala during a study abroad program in summer 2024. Photo submitted
BOONE, N.C. — Appalachian State University connects students to a world-class education and life-changing international experiences — earning top rankings nationally for the number of Mountaineer students who participate in study abroad programs.
The Institute of International Education ranked App State No. 4 in the nation among comprehensive master’s degree-granting institutions for the total number of students — nearly 700 — who studied abroad for credit in the 2023–24 academic year.
Additionally, App State earned the No. 2 spot nationally for the number of students who participated in short-term study abroad programs for academic credit during 2023–24. The university was recognized as 13th nationally in the mid-length and long-term study abroad participation categories.
The rankings were shared as part of the organization’s “2025 Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange,” released in November.
According to App State’s Office of International Programs (OIP), students from all majors are expanding their horizons through immersive international study. At App State, study abroad opportunities are available in over 60 countries each year — from Guatemala to Ireland to South Africa.
To support these experiences, OIP awards annual study abroad scholarships ranging from $250 to $2,000. Students also have opportunities to receive financial aid, among other options.
“One of the biggest goals of study abroad is for students to see how folks live differently,” said Dr. Greg McClure ’95, professor in App State’s Department of Learning, Teaching and Curriculum, who has led study abroad programs through the university for over a decade. “When students have the opportunity to experience a different culture, it can really expand their perspective on the world.”
Why should you study abroad? In this video, three Mountaineer alumni and students, who were interviewed in 2023, share their stories of living and studying in Europe and how global learning experiences can benefit App State students.
‘The world becomes your classroom’
The university offers a wide range of study abroad programs, including dual degree programs, international internships and student teaching, summer partner programs, exchange programs and faculty-led programs. According to OIP, 25 faculty-led study abroad programs took place in the 2024–25 academic year, and 45 programs have been approved for 2025–26.
McClure led an App State study abroad program to Guatemala in June 2024, where students spent time in the Indigenous Maya community of Copal AA La Esperanza. They lived with host families, volunteered alongside local middle school students in community gardens and took part in conversations around climate change — all while gaining firsthand insight into Maya culture and sustainability practices. He has led this particular program multiple times and has maintained a relationship with the community since 1996.
“When I was a student at App State, in what was then a sustainable development minor, I learned about U.S. involvement in Guatemala, and it really ignited my passion for understanding how U.S. policy had significant impacts on Latin American communities,” said McClure. “My App State professors helped me learn and think about the world in critical ways and look for opportunities to make a difference in the world. To be here now, leading study abroad programs and giving students similar opportunities, is really special.”
App State alumna Alaina Case ’25, second from left, uses a backstrap weaving loom in the Indigenous Maya community of Copal AA La Esperanza in Guatemala during her senior year study abroad program in summer 2024. Photo submitted
Dr. Jessica Martell, associate professor in App State’s Department of Interdisciplinary Studies and the 2025–26 Fulbright-Queen’s University Scholar in Irish Literature, said her interest in study abroad also began when she was a college student.
“I studied abroad twice as an undergraduate student, and it was the most important time of my education,” she said.
As the coordinator for App State’s global studies undergraduate degree program, Martell plays a central role in advancing international opportunities and has led several study abroad programs. Her most recent program took students to Ireland and Northern Ireland last summer, where they visited cultural sites in Dublin, Belfast and Derry/Londonderry to study how societies once divided by intense conflict have come together to make peace, even in the face of political differences.
“My co-leaders and I are dedicated to encouraging students to move beyond the tourist experience and into an educational experience,” said Martell. “When the world becomes your classroom, it’s an extraordinary privilege to witness.”
Martell added that college is one of the best times a young adult can travel internationally.
“There’s more significance to it than a vacation, and it’s amazing to have a support system of fellow students, faculty and the university, which really helps you feel comfortable abroad. It’s a beneficial experience to have.”
Mountaineer students gather in front of Belfast City Hall in Belfast — the capital of Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom — during the App State summer 2024 study abroad program “Human Rights and Peacebuilding in Ireland and Northern Ireland.” The study abroad program was co-led by Dr. Jessica Martell, professor in App State’s Department of Interdisciplinary Studies and coordinator of the global studies degree program, and Dr. Belinda Walzer, associate professor in App State’s Department of English. Photo by Belinda Walzer
Study abroad shapes careers and personal growth
App State alumnus Cody Zimmerman ’24, who earned bachelor’s degrees in both general management and marketing-sales in 2024, was a first-generation college student who worked more than 30 hours a week to support his education. Despite balancing his studies, a full-time job and multiple extracurricular activities, he also made time for a study abroad program — which he described as “one of the most impressive experiences I’ve ever had.”
Zimmerman studied at the University of Roehampton in London, England. When he wasn’t in class, he maximized his time abroad by exploring as many countries and cities as possible. He visited 13 countries, including France, Greece, Spain, Slovakia, Austria and Italy, and attended nearly 20 European football games during his travels. He also immersed himself in local culture, visiting multiple pubs, shops and restaurants.
“It single-handedly changed not only my perception of the world, but it gave me a chance to look inward — where I have some strengths and where I have some weaknesses — and it helped me build upon who I am as a person,” said Zimmerman.
His love of international travel didn’t end with graduation. Zimmerman returned to Europe before starting his first job, making up for experiences he missed or couldn’t afford during his study abroad program.
“My plane ticket was my graduation gift,” he said. “I went back to England to see my friends, went snowboarding in Norway and also visited Sweden, Denmark and Poland.”
App State students carry a banner at the head of a parade to signal the beginning of the 10th annual Festival for Mother Earth in Copal AA La Esperanza in Guatemala during a study abroad program in summer 2024. Photo submitted
Recent App State graduate Cody Zimmerman ’24, third from left in the front row, joined the University of Roehampton field hockey team while studying abroad in London, England. Zimmerman’s team is pictured before Varsity, an event similar to homecoming for schools in the U.S. Photo submitted
App State alumnus Caleb Parker ’25 is pictured near the tram track in Angers, France. Parker studied abroad at the University of Angers when he was a junior at App State. Photo submitted
App State alumnus Cody Zimmerman ’24 enjoys a game of polo at the University of Roehampton in London, England, where he studied abroad as a student. The university’s Polo Club offered Zimmerman his first opportunity to go horseback riding and learn about the English horseback culture, which he said was “one of my favorite memories when studying abroad in England.” Photo submitted
Now, Zimmerman is participating in the Fulbright U.S. Student Program in Taiwan, where he is teaching English on a remote island.
App State alumna Sarah LaWall ’13, who studied abroad in Italy and China as a Mountaineer, said she always had her sights set on living overseas. She wanted to continue traveling internationally after graduation, but she took it one step further by pursuing a career outside of the United States.
LaWall completed her Master of Business Administration at the University of West London in 2022 and now lives and works in London as the senior account manager for QBE Insurance Europe. She graduated from App State in 2013 with a bachelor’s degree in marketing and a minor in international business.
“Immediately after I studied abroad in Italy, the first thing I did was look up jobs in Europe,” said LaWall. “The experience of building and expanding your network globally really widens your breadth of knowledge and helps you have a new perspective on things.”
LaWall’s advice to students considering study abroad is to be open-minded and flexible and to go as soon as possible.
“I wish I had had the confidence earlier in my college career to study abroad,” she said. “Even if you know it’s going to be out of your comfort zone, try it anyway, because you will get so much out of the experience.”
App State alumnus Cody Zimmerman ’24 is pictured in front of the Parthenon in Athens, Greece — one of many iconic sites he visited while studying abroad at the University of Roehampton in London, England. Photo submitted
‘Take the leap and do it’
Kistler Hunt ’25, a recent App State graduate who earned a bachelor’s degree in public health, studied abroad at Stellenbosch University in South Africa during summer 2024. While there, she took courses in South African political history and public health, including a class focused on HIV and AIDS in South Africa.
“The program had a high emphasis on experiential learning, which particularly impacted me,” said Hunt. “Most days, we would spend our mornings in lectures, with our afternoons usually involving an excursion to a relevant site. One of my favorite experiences — one that I will likely remember for the rest of my life — was a trip to Robben Island.”
Robben Island served as a prison colony for men who defied the apartheid system of racial segregation in South Africa from 1948 to 1994. Most notably, it was where Nelson Mandela spent 18 of his 27 years in prison.
Hunt said tour guides of the colony are former Robben Island prisoners, adding that “one of the most impactful things I remember from that experience was our tour guide taking our group to the cell he was assigned to during his time on the island.”
Hunt also saw public health in a new light, highlighted by a visit to Stellenbosch University’s Biomedical Research Institute — where the Omicron variant of COVID-19 was first genetically sequenced and identified.
“As someone interested in epidemiology — the study of disease and disease spread — this was particularly exciting for me,” said Hunt. “The COVID-19 pandemic was the catalyst that inspired me to study public health, so being able to go to the direct site where groundbreaking public health research occurred felt full circle.”
App State alumna Kistler Hunt ’25, third from left, feeds elephants in the South African town of Oudtshoorn during her study abroad experience at Stellenbosch University in summer 2024. Photo submitted
Recent App State graduate Cody Zimmerman ’24 sits in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France. When Zimmerman studied abroad at the University of Roehampton in London, England, he made time to visit 13 European countries. Photo submitted
Outside of academics, Hunt embraced every adventure she could — from shark cage diving and bungee jumping to feeding elephants.
“I returned from this program much more carefree, in general,” she said. “Interacting with an entirely different community and country allowed me to understand all of my academic learning in broad, real-world application. I am now better prepared to live and lead as a citizen who is engaged, aware and passionate about making a difference. I wholeheartedly recommend studying abroad to anyone who is able to do so.”
Caleb Parker ’25, another recent App State graduate, studied abroad at the University of Angers in France as a junior. Like Hunt, he said the opportunity opened doors for him both educationally and culturally.
“With my study of the French language being one of my majors, I felt it was prudent to take advantage of the opportunity to immerse myself in a different culture, with individuals who speak the language,” explained Parker. “This experience was a critical step in my growth as a person.”
Parker said his time in France greatly improved his language skills, making him a much stronger candidate for jobs on the international stage.
His advice to other students considering studying abroad: “Take the leap and do it.”
For more information about App State’s study abroad opportunities, visit international.appstate.edu/education-abroad.
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About the Office of International Programs
Appalachian State University combines a strong liberal arts foundation with a comprehensive, pervasive and integrated commitment to global engagement. The Office of International Programs assists App State in fulfilling its global engagement mission by working to develop awareness, knowledge, appreciation and respect of cultural differences — in both domestic and international contexts — in the university’s students, faculty and staff, as well as in the surrounding communities. Learn more at https://international.appstate.edu.
About Appalachian State University
As a premier public institution, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives. App State is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System, with a national reputation for innovative teaching and opening access to a high-quality, cost-effective education. The university enrolls more than 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and 80 graduate majors at its Boone and Hickory campuses and through App State Online. Learn more at https://www.appstate.edu.
