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A new study from the University System of Georgia found that students who study abroad graduate faster than their peers.
The study compiled semester-by-semester records from 221,981 students across 35 U.S. institutions, with more than 30,000 of those students having studied abroad. Those who went abroad had a six-year graduation rate of 95.1 percent—considerably higher than the 62.7 percent six-year graduation rate for those who didn’t study abroad. Additionally, students who studied abroad and graduated within six years did so about half a semester earlier than students who didn’t study abroad but graduated in that time frame. And students who studied abroad earned slightly more credits while taking less time to complete a degree.
“Graduation rates and time to graduation lie at the heart of the central value proposition for higher education,” said Donald Rubin, a co-author of the study. “Over time, we were able to see that if you undertake education abroad, it’s not going to impede completion of your degree. In fact, the evidence shows that it will accelerate time to graduation relative to peers who don’t study abroad.”
(This story has been updated with the correct name of the study's source.)
