The current schedule, with exams in January, can cause problems for students trying to study abroad during the spring semester.

“You head off to [your spring program] in mid-January. You’ve been there two weeks, then you have to stop everything to take your [fall semester] exams,” said Edwards.

The report also suggested that professors could use time in January for international trips related to their courses.

In recent years, Harvard has seen a drastic increase in the number of students who participate in international programs. The number of students doing study abroad for credit increased from 172 in 2000-2001 to 351 in 2004-2005. Including students in non-credit programs, a total of 840 students went abroad with OIP support from 2004-2005.

Committee members attributed this increase to the faculty and administration’s focus in recent years on study abroad, in contrast to Harvard’s formerly restrictive policies.

“The commitment to the importance of international experience is pretty generally agreed on amongst the faculty,” said Edwards.

Committee members expressed hope that this would lead to a “warm response” to their report from the Faculty at its Tuesday meeting.

—Staff writer Evan H. Jacobs can be reached at ehjacobs@fas.harvard.edu.