Syracuse University is a diverse and international community with tremendous opportunities for students to make friends from many countries, learn from and about various cultures and develop global perspectives.
Discover how you can become an engaged citizen of the world, before you even leave campus …
Take a Course That Expands Your Worldview
Syracuse University offers numerous courses taught by faculty with international expertise that put timely and complex topics in a global perspective. Want to better understand interrelated economic trends? Consider enrolling in Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs professor Merima Ali’s course on economic development in Africa. Interested in music? Sign up for Introduction to World Music or Worlds of Dance. Or perhaps Managing in a Global Setting catches your interest, or Climate Change Past and Present; Health, Healing and Culture; Race in Latin America, Indigenous Religions; and Oil, Water and War; among many others.
Attend Festivals of Cultural Celebration
Syracuse’s campus community includes over 4,000 international students from more than 100 countries. Students and staff from the Center for International Services organize an annual International Festival that welcomes the campus community to enjoy foods and traditional performances from around the world. In addition to this fantastic event, student organizations work with other campus entities throughout the year to commemorate holidays and celebrate traditions like Dia de los Muertos, Chinese New Year, Diwali and many more.
Learn From Visiting Scholars and Artists
Every semester, scholars, artists and experts visit campus for speaking engagements and workshops, providing extraordinary opportunities for students to gain insight from experts, professionals and luminaries from around the world.
For example, Li Han and Hu Yan, principal architects from the world-renowned Drawing Architecture Studio in Beijing, offered a course at the School of Architecture this spring and shared their expertise working with the narrative techniques of Japanese graphic novels and traditional Chinese landscape painting. The pieces the students created during the course are now on display in the Everson Museum of Art.
Study Abroad or Away
Syracuse University is consistently ranked in the top 10 schools with the best study abroad programs and is committed to making study abroad or study away at one of our campus extensions in the United States a possibility for every student. So, take advantage! Do a full semester at one of our established centers for an immersive experience of living, traveling and working abroad, or explore options in 60 other locations around the world through our partner programs.
“Study abroad is a great cultural experience—it gets you out of your comfort zone with foods, language, people, even with sports.”
Many courses also offer a travel component where students travel and study abroad over an academic break. For example, students can study sustainability in Costa Rica over spring break, or take a course studying Mediterranean food and culture while based in Italy for part of the summer, or education systems in Kenya, or sports and history in Australia, to name a few.
Engage in Interfaith Dialogue
Hendricks Chapel is often called the heart of the campus community. With 14 chaplains and more than 25 student-led religious and spiritual groups, it’s the dedicated home for spiritual practices and services on campus and supports a wide range of community service opportunities. At Hendricks Chapel there are many opportunities to learn about diverse religious traditions and engage in interfaith conversations. Join Muslim members of our campus community for the Community Iftar during Ramadan, participate in the Friendship Luncheon hosted every Thursday by a Christian student group, and delve into meaningful discussions with the Student Assembly of Interfaith Leaders.
Make Friends From Diverse Backgrounds
Whether your passion is rumba or robotics, sailing or sewing—consider becoming involved in one or more of the 300+ registered student clubs and organizations where you can meet people from many different backgrounds who share your enthusiasm. Or join a Living Learning Community to form community with others in your major or with common interests. Through the Barnes Center at The Arch, you can participate in a wide range of intermural and club sports—from broomball to ultimate frisbee, fantasy football to rugby—with peers from around the world. And every weekend, Orange After Dark programming provides opportunities to connect with others while you unwind, explore highlights of Central New York and have fun.
“The sense of community is something that I like best about being a Syracuse student. It has helped me build a home away from home.”
