The second floor of the University Capitol Centre turned into a spectrum of international opportunities for UI students Tuesday afternoon.

Hundreds of students attended the annual Study Abroad Fair, browsing through more than 1,000 programs. The fair consisted of roughly 80 booths, 35 of which were from other universities and external exhibitors.

The fair also allowed the Office of Study Abroad to advertise several new UI programs. Of these, four are winter programs in Greece, Japan, Tanzania, and England. Many four-week long summer programs are also being offered.

The UI is also expanding dramatically in India, said Janis Perkins, the director of the Office of Study Abroad.

“The new summer programs are targeted at students who have completed their first year,” she said. “This gives them the opportunity to preview what it would be like to study abroad for a semester.”

Though the nation’s poor financial health has affected other UI programs, she said, it hasn’t seemed carry over to Study Abroad.

“No programs have been discontinued, but we are always adding new ones,” she said. “There doesn’t seem to be a drop-off in student interest in studying abroad.”

More than 1,200 students studied abroad in 59 different counties during the 2007-08 school year. Last year’s numbers are not yet available, Perkins said.

The trend at the UI seems to apply nationwide. According to the Institute of International Education, the number of students studying abroad went up 8 percent in the 2006-07 academic year compared with the year before.

The energy at the fair was vibrant, as representatives were eager to share information with UI students.

Sara Troy, a regional program representative from Lexia International, said she enjoyed having interaction with students at the fair.

“These programs are not for the masses, and UI [officials] seek them because they know their students can handle it,” Troy said. “I’m not talking to people who are more interested in partying abroad during the program, but students who are truly interested in the cultural experience.”

Students who had studied abroad in the past were also available to give insight on their personal experience.

UI junior Guadalupe Trinidad spent last summer studying in Italy.

“[The experience] opened my eyes to different perspectives — political, social, cultural,” she said. “It taught me a lot about myself.”

Student feedback seemed to be positive overall.

UI freshman Leah Webster said she came into the fair knowing what she wanted.

“I came to college to study abroad,” she said as she picked up information for programs in Wales and England. “Everyone at the fair was extremely informative and helpful, and it just got me that much more excited to study overseas.”