The scholarships were from the Freeman Awards for Study in Asia program, established in 2000 to encourage more Americans to study abroad in East and Southeast Asia. According to "Open Doors," the annual survey of international student mobility conducted by the Institute of International Education, 60 percent of all U.S. students studying abroad go to Europe, while only about 6 percent study in Asia.
Since it was established, Freeman-Asia has supported more than 2,500 U.S. undergraduates with their study abroad plans in Asia.
