According to a study reported by Inside Higher Ed, “students who study abroad have improved academic performance upon returning to their home campus, higher graduation rates, and improved knowledge of cultural practices and context compared to students in control groups.” Study abroad, according to the GLOSSARI (Georgia Learning Outcomes of Students Studying Abroad Research Initiative) report, also “helps, rather than hinders, academic performance of at-risk students.”
The study, which was carried out by the University System of Georgia, speaks directly to study abroad skeptics who argue that study abroad is an educational and economic distraction.
Specific findings include:
- Four year graduation rates: 49.6% for study abroad students; 42.1% for students in control group.
- Six year graduation rates: 88.7% for study abroad students; 83.4% for control group.
- GPA: Pre-study abroad mean cumulative GPA was 3.24; post-study abroad GPAs went up to 3.30. For the students in the control group, over the same period of time, mean GPA increased slightly from 3.03 to 3.06.
- An understanding of world geography and global interdependence did not differ significantly between those who studied abroad and those who did not. However, those who studied abroad did prove a greater capacity to understand different cultural practices.
For more details about the GLOSSARI report, please see the Inside Higher Ed article, “Academic Outcomes of Study Abroad.”
Want our news sent directly to your inbox? Subscribe to the Accepted Admissions Almanac by clicking here!
Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best
Read the full article: Are Students who Study Abroad Smarter?
