There is a large consensus among policymakers and scholars that spending time abroad during university studies is highly beneficial to students in terms of their professional and personal development. It gives students the opportunity to acquire a vast array of skills (such as, for instance, intercultural competence, global awareness, and foreign language skills) that can help them successfully compete in the labour market. An international education experience is positively valued by many companies and especially multinationals.
Participation in study abroad programmes may also support students’ personal growth. It is likely to enhance students’ confidence and self-awareness. While studying and living abroad, students have to deal with new and unexpected situations, which allow them to become more confident, mature, and self-reliant.
The JRC has carried out several analyses on international student mobility, highlighting the following findings:
- Participation in study-abroad programs during university studies has an overall positive, albeit mild, impact on post-graduation earnings.
- Gender and socioeconomic inequality in access to study-abroad programs appear to be rather stable over time.
- The Covid-19 pandemic negatively affected students' intentions to study abroad.
- International internship programs enable participants to develop interpersonal skills such as self-confidence and open-mindedness.
- An international academic environment, where domestic students can interact more frequently with international students, motivates them to study abroad.
These studies have a high policy relevance, given that they provide important insights on how to improve participation in study abroad programmes. The results of the analyses also contribute to our understanding of the effectiveness of the mobility programmes.
Publications
Di Pietro, Changes in socioeconomic inequality in access to study abroad programs: A cross-country analysis. Research in Social Stratification and Mobility, Volume 66, 2020, 100465, ISSN 0276-5624, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rssm.2019.100465.
Di Pietro, G. (2022). Does an International Academic Environment Promote Study Abroad? Journal of Studies in International Education, 26(1), 3–20. https://doi.org/10.1177/1028315320913260
Di Pietro, G. Changes in the study abroad gender gap: A European cross-country analysis. Higher Educ Q. 2022; 76: 436– 459. https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/HEED-11-2021-0080/full/html
Di Pietro, G. (2022), "Covid-19 and intentions to study abroad: evidence from overseas university applications to the UK", Higher Education Evaluation and Development, Vol. 17 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/HEED-11-2021-0080
Di Pietro, G. (2022). International internships and skill development: A systematic review. Review of Education, 10, e3363. https://doi.org/10.1002/rev3.3363
Di Pietro, G. (2022). Studying abroad and earnings: A meta-analysis. Journal of Economic Surveys, 36, 1096– 1129. https://doi.org/10.1111/joes.12472
