This article reports that the number of American students traveling overseas to study continued to rise in 2006, capping a decade of unprecedented growth. The increase amounted to 8 percent, according to the Institute of International Education, which tracks such figures in its annual "Open Doors" report. Over the past 10 years, the number of students participating in overseas-study trips for academic credit has increased nearly 150 percent, to almost 241,800 in the 2006 academic year. Some study-abroad advisers question whether the upward trend can be sustained amid the global economic downturn. The institute's data also suggest that Americans are opting for less traditional study-abroad destinations. While Western Europe continues to be the most popular choice, the number of U.S. students studying in Argentina, China, Ecuador, India, and South Africa each increased by more than 20 percent over the previous year. China now ranks as the fifth-most-popular destination for American students, more than 11,000 of whom studied there in 2006. Some study-abroad advisers hypothesize that the continuing, worldwide financial crunch could accelerate current trends, leading students to select less expensive destinations or shorter programs.