49. Provide scholarships to participate in learning opportunities, such as study abroad and international exchange programs.
Here’s what the federal government can do:
- Congress should fund programs that expand the availability of scholarships for students of color, first-generation students, and students with lower incomes to participate in learning opportunities, such as study abroad and international exchange programs.
Here’s what state government can do:
- State legislatures should fund programs that expand the availability of scholarships for students of color, first-generation students, and students with lower incomes to participate in learning opportunities, such as study abroad and international exchange programs.
Here’s what institutional leaders can do:
- Higher education institutions should expand the availability of scholarships for students of color, first-generation students, and students with lower incomes to participate in learning opportunities, such as study abroad and international exchange programs.
- Higher education institutions should ensure that students of color, first-generation students, and students with lower incomes have access to information regarding scholarships that are available to them for programs like study abroad and international exchange programs.
Policymakers and higher education institutions can further promote educational equity by supporting pathways for first-generation students and students with lower incomes to participate in study abroad and international exchange programs. Such programs can enrich the education of students and offer access to post-graduate employment. An expansion in the availability of scholarship opportunities for students with lower incomes and first-generation students can lift barriers to participation in programs, such as study abroad and international exchange programs.
While students from wealthier families benefit from financial support to study abroad or use their free time for internships, students from lower income families may have to work just to pay for books. Tuition accounts for only 20 percent of the total cost of attendance at community colleges, and the other 80 percent goes towards books, transportation, housing, and food.[i] Considering these financial barriers, only 8 percent of first-generation students will participate in study abroad programs[ii] compared to 32 percent of all college students,[iii] and students of color remain significantly underrepresented in study abroad programs as shown in the data table below.[iv]
Percent of U.S Study Abroad Students by Race/Ethnicity, 2022
| Race/Ethnicity | U.S. Postsecondary Enrollment | U.S. Students Abroad |
| African American or Black | 12.5 percent | 5.3 percent |
| Asian American/Pacific Islander | 7.5 percent | 8.6 percent |
| Caucasian | 50.9 percent | 68.6 percent |
| Hispanic/Latino American | 19.6 percent | 11.9 percent |
| Multiracial | 4.1 | 4.8 percent |
| American Indian/Alaska Native | 0.6 percent | 0.4 percent |
Source: NAFSA: Association of International Educators, Trends in U.S. Study Abroad, 2022.
[i]Ma, Jennifer, & Baum, Sandy. “Trends in Community Colleges: Enrollment, Prices, Student Debt, and Completion,” College Board Research, April 2016. https://research.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/trends-community-colleges-research-brief.pdf.
[ii]Mason, L.; & Garcia, V. “Supporting Pathways for First-Generation Students to Study Abroad,” The Power of International Education, 2022. https://www.iie.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/IIEAIFS_First-Generation-Study-Abroad_2022_Final.pdf.
[iii]“Study Abroad Data” U.S. Department of State, March 6, 2018. https://studyabroad.state.gov/value-study-abroad/study-abroad-data#:~:text=Thirty%2Dtwo%20percent%20of%20students,an%20academic%20or%20calendar%20year.
[iv]“Trends in U.S. Study Abroad,” National Association of International Educators, 2022. https://www.nafsa.org/policy-and-advocacy/policy-resources/trends-us-study-abroad#:~:text=See%20the%20U.S.%20study%20abroad,Abroad%20Students%20by%20Host%20Region.