MUNCIE, Ind. -- More than 300 Ball State University students studied abroad in 1995-96, placing the university among the top 10 doctoral institutions in the number of students taking classes overseas.

A report by the Chronicle for Higher Education using the most recent figures available ranked Ball State 8th in the nation with 308 students earning academic credit in a foreign country. That is 1.6 percent of all Ball State students.

Ball State placed ahead of Southern Methodist University, the College of William and Mary, and Wake Forest University.

"It's a reflection of a long-standing commitment to provide study abroad opportunities for our students and encourage them to include overseas study regardless of major," said Associate Provost Beverley Pitts.

Pitts noted that more than 400 Ball State students traveled abroad in 1996-97 which should move the university up even higher in the next rankings. Two years ago Ball State was ranked 14th in the country among doctoral universities.

The Study Abroad office in the Center for International Programs reported most Ball State students study in England at the university's London Centre. That corresponds with national figures that show 22 percent of all American students who earn credit overseas travel to the United Kingdom.

Nationally, most of the nearly 90,000 students who studied abroad were women in their junior year of college. Thirty-five percent were enrolled in social studies and humanities programs.