Studying Abroad Provides Huge Benefit for Students

A ten-year study in the University System of Georgia has concluded that students highly benefit from study abroad experiences. Improvements were seen in overall academic performance, graduation rates and cultural awareness. In addition, the students found to benefit the most from study abroad were those qualified as "at-risk".

The study, done through GLOSSARI, compared nearly 20,000 students who studied abroad during college to their peers who elected to remain in the United States. Findings included that 49.6% of students who study abroad graduate versus 42.1% who elect to stay at their home university. In addition, African-Americans who study abroad were 31% more likely to graduate from university.

A significant improvement was visible as well in the overall academic performance (quantified by the GPA) of at-risk students, or those who had combined SAT scores in the 800 ranges upon entering college, who studied abroad. Students with much higher SAT scores (around 1500) showed little change in their GPAs

In addition to the improved academic performance, students who studied in other countries for a semester or year showed, not surprisingly, increased cultural awareness. This in turn leads to increased cultural sensitivity and respect for other cultures, something we need more of as a general population. In addition, the experience of living and operating in another country (and frequently another language) leads to increased self-awareness, another critical element in our development into mature adults.

This study is not only interesting, but proves what students who have studied abroad have known for a long time. Spending a semester in another country is not about taking a semester off school or spending five months becoming intimately familiar with the insides of pubs. It is about educating the whole self. Education of the mind continues in the host university. Education of the soul happens on a daily basis as the student tries to figure out who they are and how they fit into this strange culture.

Students come back from study abroad experiences changed.  They are more mature, more focused on their goals and have a clearer sense of who they really are. As a result, it is not surprising that they do better in their home universities. Hopefully this study will serve as concrete proof that study abroad is a positive experience that more university students should take advantage of. Then we will see improvements both in students and in their schools.

Photo Credit: Horia Varlan