Is Study Abroad Still a Privilege? Exploring the Inequality Gap between Intentions and Study Abroad at a Public Midwestern University in the U.S.

Although more students study abroad today than in decades prior, participation still lags behind national goals put forth by the Lincoln Commission. Many students plan to study abroad, yet this often does not correspond with actual participation. This gap suggests there are barriers that prevent study abroad intentions from evolving into program enrollment. This study analyzes full population data and a NSSE (National Survey of Student Engagement) subset to distinguish study abroad and non-study abroad student intentions and participation between 2007 and 2017 at Grand Valley State University (GVSU), a public liberal arts university in the U.S. Midwest. The role of demographic, academic, and socioeconomic factors are explored using logistic regression. Findings confirm alignment of study abroad patterns with student characteristics, which represent barriers as well as opportunities for study abroad participation. Interventions at institutional and individual levels could be useful for addressing social group disparities and the participation gap.