Who Plans (Not) to Study Abroad? An Examination of U.S. Student Intent

With the number of American students studying abroad increasing each year and the expected passage of a federal law that would increase and diversify study abroad participation and locations, U.S. colleges and universities likely will have to make changes related to curriculum, faculty involvement, institutional leadership, programming, and resources (both financial and human) to meet the mandate. Therefore, it is imperative that colleges and universities understand how the characteristics and backgrounds of their students influence intent to study abroad. This study examined factors that may affect U.S. student participation in study abroad, including parental income and education, gender, race, intended major, attitudes about other cultures, and distance of college from home. Data were collected from a large, public northeastern university in the United States that participated in the 2007 Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP) survey, which provides information about incoming students’ backgrounds, academic and career expectations, personal goals, and opinions on a wide range of political and social issues. The results indicate that being female, attending school more than 100 miles from home, and expressing an interest in improving one’s understanding of other cultures and countries have a positive influence on American students’ intent to study abroad. Planning to pursue a master’s degree or higher, living with family while attending school and majoring in engineering and professional areas such as architecture and medicine negatively affect U.S. student intent to study abroad.