Study Abroad Participation: Trends and Demographics

Only about 10% of American college students will ever study abroad. That means 90% will graduate without one of the most career-boosting experiences available to them.

Study abroad alumni earn $4,100 more per year in their first jobs. They get hired faster. They get into better graduate schools. But the students most likely to benefit, low-income and first-generation students, are the least likely to go.

In this report, we use the latest data from the IIE Open Doors 2025 Report (covering 2023/24), IES Abroad alumni surveys, and NAFSA economic research to show who studies abroad, where they go, why most students do not, and what it actually costs.

The Recovery: Study Abroad After the Pandemic

Study abroad was one of the first casualties of COVID-19. In 2020/21, participation collapsed by 72%, from 347,099 to just 14,549 students. Programs were canceled overnight. Entire semesters abroad evaporated.

Four years later, the recovery is real but incomplete:

Source: IIE Open Doors 2025 Report (November 2025).

An additional 444,000+ students engaged in other global experiences outside traditional study abroad: non-credit internships, online global learning, and full-degree programs at foreign universities. The definition of "international education" is expanding beyond the classic semester in Florence.

Full recovery to pre-pandemic levels is projected for 2025/26. But the question is not just whether the numbers recover. It is whether study abroad becomes more accessible to the students who have been locked out of it for decades.

Where They Go: Europe Still Dominates (and That Is a Problem)

Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, and France remain the top four destinations, accounting for 45% of all U.S. students abroad. Nearly half of all study abroad students go to just four countries.

The biggest shift in 2023/24: Japan became the 5th-largest destination for the first time, with 16% growth. Seven destinations in the top 25 reached all-time highs: Denmark, Greece, Italy, Japan, Portugal, South Korea, and Spain.

Why does Europe still dominate? Three reasons. English-speaking or culturally familiar countries feel safe, so parents worry less and students feel less anxious. Universities have deep institutional partnerships with European programs built over decades, making them the default option advisors recommend. And students follow each other: when your roommate studied in Florence, you want to study in Florence.

The irony is that the places that feel most comfortable teach you the least about operating outside your comfort zone. Studying in South Korea, Colombia, or Morocco forces a deeper kind of adaptation. You cannot fall back on English. You cannot default to familiar cultural norms. That discomfort is exactly where the career-relevant growth happens.

Those destinations are also dramatically cheaper. A semester in Prague or Mexico City can cost half of what London or Paris costs, while offering a more distinctive line on your resume. The student who spent a semester in Dakar has a story no interviewer has heard before. The student who spent a semester in London has the same story as 41,000 others.

Who Gets to Go (And Who Does Not)

This is the uncomfortable part of the study abroad story. The students who participate do not look like the overall student body:

Source: IIE Open Doors, 2022/23 demographic data.

Black students make up 13% of all undergraduates but only 6% of study abroad participants. Hispanic students are 22% of enrollment but 11% of study abroad. The pattern has persisted for decades with only marginal improvement.

The gender gap is equally striking: 67% of study abroad students are women, 33% men. This two-to-one ratio has held steady for years.

The reasons are structural, not motivational. Cost is the number one barrier. First-generation students often lack family experience with international travel, face pressure to work during breaks instead of studying abroad, and worry about delaying graduation. Low-income families cannot fly overseas for emergencies or cover unexpected expenses. These are real obstacles, not lack of ambition.

But here is the deeper question: why has this gap barely moved in 20 years despite widespread awareness? Because study abroad programs were largely designed in an era when the typical participant was a wealthy white student from a private university. The fundamental economics have not been restructured. Most programs require upfront deposits of $500 to $2,000 that low-income families cannot float. Application timelines favor students who already know how the system works. And scholarship programs like Gilman, while valuable, reach roughly 3,800 students per year. That is a fraction of the 298,180 who go abroad.

Closing this gap requires more than awareness campaigns. It requires redesigning how study abroad is funded, marketed, and structured from the ground up.

What Students Study and How Long They Go

• STEM students: 27% of participants (up from 18% a decade ago), the fastest growing segment

• Business: 20% (single largest field)

• Social Sciences: 17%

• Short-term (8 weeks or less): 65% of all programs

• Semester: 28%

• Full academic year: 7%

The shift toward short-term programs is the defining trend. Two-thirds of all study abroad now happens in 8 weeks or less, typically during summer or winter breaks. This has made study abroad more accessible for students who cannot afford a full semester away, but it raises a real question about depth.

A 6-week summer program opens your eyes. A semester changes how you operate. After six weeks you are still figuring out the metro and eating at tourist restaurants. After four months you have a favorite bakery, inside jokes with locals, and a genuine understanding of how another society works. That is the difference between a travel experience and a transformative one.

The IES Abroad alumni who report the strongest career outcomes are overwhelmingly from semester and year-long programs. If you have the flexibility, choose depth over convenience. Short-term still beats not going at all, but a semester is where the real return on investment lives.

The Career Payoff: What the Data Actually Shows

Study abroad is not just a personal growth experience. It has measurable career value. According to research highlighted by NAFSA and Inside Higher Ed (2026):

• $4,100+ annual salary premium in first jobs (analysis of business school alumni across four major institutions)

• $1.8 billion in net additional income generated by study abroad alumni in 2024

• Higher promotion rates to management positions in certain fields

The IES Abroad alumni survey (8,800+ respondents) adds more detail:

• 90% said education abroad was important for career success

• 76% acquired skills abroad that influenced their career path

• 84% said it helped them build job-relevant skills

• 90% got into their first or second choice graduate school

What makes these numbers real and not just feel-good survey responses? Think about what studying abroad actually requires. You navigate a foreign bureaucracy to get a student visa. You figure out how to open a bank account in a language you barely speak. You solve daily problems that have no Google-able answer in English.

These are not abstract "soft skills." They are the exact competencies employers test for in interviews: adaptability, initiative, and creative problem-solving under uncertainty. The students who study abroad develop them by necessity, not by reading about them in a textbook.

The $4,100 salary premium was measured specifically among business school alumni, so it may vary by field. But the underlying ability to function when nothing works the way you expect is universally valued. That is why 90% of alumni call the experience career-important regardless of their major.

How to Actually Afford It

Cost is the top barrier, but many students overestimate how expensive study abroad has to be. Here is what most people do not realize:

1. Federal financial aid travels with you. Pell Grants, Stafford Loans, and most institutional aid can be applied to approved study abroad programs. Many students assume they lose their aid if they go abroad. They do not.

2. The Gilman Scholarship offers up to $5,000 specifically for Pell Grant recipients studying abroad. Over 3,800 awards are given annually. If you receive a Pell Grant, you should apply. (gilmanscholarship.org)

3. Boren Awards provide up to $25,000 for study in underrepresented regions (Africa, Asia, Latin America, Middle East). In exchange, recipients commit to working in the federal government for one year. (borenawards.org)

4. Non-traditional destinations are often cheaper. A semester in South Korea, Mexico, or Czech Republic can cost significantly less than the same period in London or Paris. Living expenses in many countries are a fraction of U.S. costs.

5. Summer programs cost less overall. A 6-week summer program may run $5,000-$10,000 total, compared to $15,000-$30,000 for a full semester. If a semester is out of reach, a shorter program still delivers career value.

One important note: international exchange funding was cut by $74 million in recent federal budgets, with some Fulbright-Hays programs canceled entirely. Scholarship funding is not guaranteed to stay at current levels. If you are considering applying, do it sooner rather than later.

What You Should Know Before You Go

• Start planning early. Most programs have deadlines 6 to 9 months in advance. If you want to go junior year, start researching freshman or sophomore year.

• Talk to your financial aid office first, not last. Many students assume they cannot afford it and never check. Financial aid counselors can tell you exactly what transfers and what does not.

• Consider destinations off the beaten path. South Korea, Taiwan, Colombia, Morocco, and Czech Republic offer rich cultural experiences at lower costs. A semester in Seoul stands out on a resume more than another semester in London.

• Go for as long as you can. Short-term programs are valuable. But the career data shows stronger outcomes for semester-length and year-long programs. If you can swing a full semester, do it.

• STEM students: you are not locked out. STEM participation in study abroad has grown from 18% to 27% in the last decade. Many programs now offer engineering, pre-med, and computer science coursework abroad. Your major is not an excuse.

Sources

All figures link to their original source:

1. IIE Open Doors 2025 Report, U.S. Study Abroad Data (November 2025) : 298,180 students (2023/24), 6% growth, top destinations, all-time highs

2. IIE Open Doors, Student Profile and Demographics : race/ethnicity, gender, field of study, program duration data

3. Inside Higher Ed, "Study Abroad Advocates Highlight Economic Benefits" (February 2026) : $4,100 salary premium, $1.8B economic impact, 8,800+ survey respondents

4. IES Abroad Alumni Survey Results : 90% career importance, 76% skill influence, 90% grad school placement

5. Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program : up to $5,000 for Pell Grant recipients

6. Boren Awards for International Study : up to $25,000 for underrepresented regions

7. IIE, "Underrepresented Students and Study Abroad" : equity gap analysis, barriers for first-gen and low-income students

IIE Open Doors 2025 data covers 2023/24 academic year, released November 2025. Demographic data from 2022/23 (most recent available with race/ethnicity detail). Career outcome data from multiple years of IES Abroad alumni surveys and 2026 NAFSA research. All links verified April 2026.