More than just a change of scenery, studying abroad offers college students many benefits, from making new friends to learning a new language and growing in ways never expected.
“Study abroad is a transformative experience,” says Russell Ganim, associate provost and dean of international programs at the University of Iowa. “A semester or year at an international destination allows students to challenge themselves on an academic, professional and personal level.”
About 280,716 U.S. students studied abroad in the 2022-23 academic year in more than 180 destinations — up 49% from the previous year, according to the 2024 Open Doors U.S. Study Abroad report by the Institute of International Education.
If you’re thinking about study abroad, here are some things to consider.
How Do Students Benefit From Studying Abroad?
Building Friendships and Resilience
Study abroad allows students to experience a different culture, try new classes, make international friends and see things from a global perspective, experts say.
“Study abroad is a high-impact practice that leads to significant benefits for students related to personal development, academic success, including persistence, retention and enhanced GPA, and post-college success,” says Susan Popko, associate provost for international programs at Santa Clara University in California.
Students will be pushed outside of their comfort zone, which means finding “new ways of making friends, solving problems and managing their time,” Ganim says.
[READ: 6 Steps to Take Before Studying Abroad]
Broadening Cultural and Learning Horizons
Study abroad also gives students enriching academic experiences through new courses, teaching styles and learning environments, experts say.
“Learning in a different country forces you to think through multiple cultural lenses at once,” says Conner Adrian, a senior at Babson College in Massachusetts.
Adrian spent a semester abroad at Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan, where he studied public systems “not just as theories, but as living organisms shaped by language, history and daily life. It makes you stop memorizing and start noticing.”
Study abroad lets students “compare different approaches to learning while accessing new curricula and research methods,” Ganim says.
In the process, students develop an enhanced global awareness and perspective and build a global network of international friends, experts say.
“Longer stays also enable students to think more broadly about how international experiences will shape their career and life choices,” Ganim says.
How Does Studying Abroad Help You Grow Personally?
Building Cognitive and Relational Skills
Studying abroad helps students grow just by putting them in new places, situations and ways of thinking, experts say.
“You confront yourself. Not the curated version — the actual you when no one is watching,” Adrian says. “When you’re misunderstood, when you have to ask for help in broken language. That’s where growth lives.”
Surveys show students “consistently report increased personal confidence, increased independence, increased flexibility and increased resilience following studying abroad,” Popko says.
“Research on the benefits of education abroad suggests participants benefit across both cognitive dimensions and interpersonal dimensions,” she says. “This means that students who study abroad experience advances in learning that are not typical during the same time period compared to students who do not study abroad.”
[Read: A Checklist for Earning a Degree Abroad]
Developing Independence and Confidence
Study abroad encourages personal growth, strengthens self-confidence and decision-making skills, and gives students a better understanding of their identity and values, experts say.
Most students who go abroad “report that the experience makes them more adaptable, responsible and independent,” and the life skills they pick up are transferrable to nearly any situation as they enter adulthood, Ganim says.
“We often hear of students who, when facing challenges at home after they return, are buoyed by having overcome even more difficult circumstances while away.”
How Can Studying Abroad Improve Your Career Prospects?
Communication and Problem-Solving Skills
Study abroad “contributes to skill development in areas desired by employers,” Popko says.
Studying in another country shows students have international experience, including cross-cultural communication and soft skills like problem-solving, experts say.
“Career surveys of companies list desired skills and abilities they hope graduates will have, and these include an understanding of global impacts of work and the skills of intercultural communication,” Popko says.
While abroad, students have access to research, global internships and networking opportunities. Most internships have project-based activities that involve team-building, goal-setting and cultural adaptation, Ganim says, and study abroad builds career-advancing skills that can help students get job offers and promotions and explore new career paths.
[Read: Health and Safety Tips for Study Abroad Students]
Language Skills and Creativity
Study abroad can also improve your language skills, which can be a valuable asset in global job markets.
“Language-learning is the most obvious example, but the same principles apply to on-site learning in fields such as business, the health sciences, engineering and the arts,” Ganim says. “Innovation and creativity take place all over the world.”
Babson regularly assesses the impact of education abroad on graduating seniors and consistently finds that “students who study abroad are more likely to be employed soon after graduation than students who do not,” says Lorien Romito, senior director of international education in Babson’s Glavin Office of International Education.
Starting salaries for those who studied abroad are also slightly higher, Romito says, “and, despite common misconceptions, there are no differences in their ability to find jobs in their industry of choice, like finance.”
Study abroad students tend to graduate on time with non-study abroad peers, she adds.
Why Is Immersing Yourself in Another Culture Valuable?
Immersing yourself in another culture expands your perspective, strengthens your adaptability and helps you grow into a more well-rounded and globally minded individual, experts say.
“Studying abroad sharpens your perception,” Adrian says. “It teaches you that humans across the globe may act differently, but they often want the same things: connection, dignity, purpose.”
Studying in another country typically helps students “focus their goals and priorities, which in turn helps them focus on their next step — whether a job or graduate school — in clear and compelling ways,” Popko says.
Having completed a semester in Japan, Adrian plans to spend fall 2025 semester at the school of economics and management at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China.
“If you can operate in unfamiliar systems, navigate nuance and build relationships across difference,” Adrian says, “you’ve already done what most people spend their whole careers trying to learn.”
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Why Study Abroad? Benefits for College Students originally appeared on usnews.com
