For American Students, Study-Abroad Numbers Continue to Climb, but Financial Obstacles Loom

The number of American students traveling overseas to study continued to rise in 2006, capping a decade of unprecedented growth.

The increased 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.

But 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.

Shorter trips also continued to rise in popularity, with 9.8 percent of students who study abroad going for eight weeks or less, up from 9.5 percent. An additional 6.8 percent went overseas during a January term, up from 5.4 percent the year before.

By contrast, the share of study-abroad students who go for a full academic year dipped, from 5.3 percent to 4.3 percent. Nearly 39 percent of students chose a summer term abroad, and 36 percent left for a semester.

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.

Chris Musick, director of international academic programs at the University of Mary Washington, in Virginia, has encouraged students to think about cheaper alternatives, like locations in South America, rather than Spain, for Spanish-language studies. “They may not be living in London or Paris,” he says, “but at least they get to go abroad.”

Thus far, Mr. Musick says, his enrollments for the spring semester are holding steady. Seventy-two students from Mary Washington will go abroad in the spring, up from 62 the previous year.

Stephen C. DePaul, director of global initiatives at the University of Texas system, says he expects to see signs of a downturn, if there is one, in February, when students register for summer and fall programs.

Other institutions, however, already report declines. At Providence College, 15 percent of those who had registered for spring programs overseas have backed out, says Adrian G. Beaulieu, dean of international studies.

In each case, he says, the reason has been financial. “It’s not academic, it’s not ‘I got a new boyfriend and I changed my mind,’” says Mr. Beaulieu, who anticipates additional withdrawals after students return from having financial heart-to-hearts with their parents over Thanksgiving break.

Financial Anxiety

Brian J. Whalen, president of the Forum on Education Abroad, a consortium of American and overseas colleges and outside providers, says he has seen a spike in financial anxiety among the group’s members. In a survey conducted in late September and early October, just as the stock market began its swoon, 94 percent of the forum members who responded said they were very or somewhat concerned about rising costs of study-abroad programs. In a similar poll a year ago, 68 percent of those surveyed called costs an increasing worry.

Mr. Whalen notes, however, that in previous economic rough patches, study-abroad numbers have remained stable or even climbed. He also points out that one side effect of the downturn, a rise in the value of the dollar, may actually have a mitigating affect, lowering costs for American students overseas, particularly in Europe.

And he argues that studying overseas can help students gain crucial skills they will need in a competitive global marketplace.

“In difficult economic times,” Mr. Whalen says, “families may see this as an investment that’s more important to make than ever.”

http://chronicle.com Section: International Volume 55, Issue 13, Page A24