International study experiences can be great equalisers – but only if diverse students participate

Students from historically disadvantaged backgrounds stand to benefit more than their classmates from international study experiences. Whether these students’ unique challenges are associated with class, race, gender, sexuality, disability, or any other characteristic or circumstance, by travelling overseas as part of their studies they gain cultural capital, reduce the likelihood of dropping out and, ultimately, achieve better academic results, research suggests.

Yet, these same students – who I will refer to as equity access students – are less likely to seek out international experiences than the general cohort average, a difference that has become more acute post-Covid.

In my first article, I explore what duty of care is due to students when they travel abroad as part of their studies and how this could affect their decision to do so. Here, we turn to what can be done to encourage a greater diversity of students to take up these opportunities.

First, let’s examine why equity access students can gain so much from such overseas trips.

Cultural capital that boosts student success

Cultural capital is a central benefit of overseas travel. Students see the world more broadly, gain insight into different ways of communicating, develop their networks, gain pride in their identities and learn to operate outside their usual socio-cultural context. 

All these factors make students more desirable to employers, and more understanding of the rest of the world and their home country. For equity access students, this growth in cultural capital is particularly important because they often arrive at university lacking the knowledge or experiences that underpin this.

Turning to my own experience: I was the second person in my extended family to complete higher education – the first one was my older sister. One of the many ways I lacked cultural capital was in speaking to prospective employees. I remember a particularly embarrassing job interview early in my degree in which I did not know how to dress, how to address the prospective employer or how to sell my skill set or academic accomplishments. I did not get that job. But going on an exchange programme to a foreign country taught me to be more observant and intentional with communication and protocol: I had to speak in a foreign language, with people who did not share my cultural references. I acquired cultural capital in doing so.

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A lower risk of student attrition 

Another key benefit of outbound student mobility is lower attrition rates, as research shows. These rates are higher than average for equity access students, driven by factors such as caring responsibilities, lack of resources to maintain oneself through higher education and, yes, a sense of just not “fitting in”. These factors and others dampen motivation to complete studies. 

The transformative nature of international experiences, where students get to explore the world mostly according to their interests, can be a powerful motivator to stay. Going on exchange gave me the boost to finish my degree. It also gave me a clearer sense of what my next steps would be. International study can encourage students to pursue academic careers, research shows.

Enhanced academic performance

Students do not necessarily perform outstandingly during their time abroad – probably because of the many more alluring distractions of discovering a new place. But upon their return, they demonstrate new ways of thinking about the same subject matter, they are more agile and creative and are more structured communicators, resulting in improved academic performance.

My international experience as a student made university feel a lot easier upon my return. It felt easier to get on top of my coursework, and I became more proficient in structuring essays and thinking critically about concepts.

For equity access students, all these benefits are exaggerated. The same research that suggests that equity access students’ attrition rates decrease also found that their academic performance (using GPA as a crude proxy) levels out with the overall cohort – even when compared against other students whose academic performance has been improved by overseas study.

How to broaden access to international study experiences

So then, how can universities support greater take-up of these opportunities among equity access students?

The key barriers are: lack of cultural capital; the burden of caring or other off-campus responsibilities; and financial constraints.

On cultural capital, the problem is self-reinforcing: students lack access to anyone who can recommend an international experience and walk them through how to access one and make the most out of it. Therefore, they miss out on the chance to grow that cultural capital. 

I was lucky that I had a good mentor to help me think through the process of applying for such an opportunity and my curiosity drowned out any questions about whether to go. I was also lucky to travel with classmates, who’d formed something akin to a support group before we even headed overseas.

Give students more planning time

Support services for equity access students ought to foreground international experiences as real possibilities early in their degrees, so students can plan accordingly and work towards that ambition. The planning time for an equity access student may be longer in terms of saving money, preparing forms and researching destinations without a clear reference in their social group.

Highlight available support in new destination

The burden of off-campus responsibilities and needs creates a major deterrent: carer responsibilities, especially for women and older students; the need to have a job to support oneself – it is very hard to get a job in a new country – or; for students living with disabilities, access to support teams, medication and housing.

Host universities can do a better job of providing clear guidance to help prospective foreign students address these challenges. This means thinking beyond the mechanics of course selection, enrolment and the lovely pictures and videos of happy people on campus – great as they are.

New scholarships create new opportunities

Finally, on finances: yes, study abroad can be expensive. Both my parents took out small loans to help me go on exchange, to supplement the scholarship I’d received for it. Without the scholarship, I would not have been able to go – and would not have applied in the first place. My experience is not unusual: even when loans are available on generous terms, equity access students are wary of taking them, research suggests. 

Universities ought to focus on scholarship opportunities for these groups. Highlighting to donors the transformative impact of international experiences is an important first step – and rarely done. Governments ought to do the same: focus on scholarships for equity access students and means-test support if scholarships are already widely available, or turn loans into grants.

International study experiences can be powerful equalisers for equity access students in higher education. It falls on universities to see outbound student mobility as core to their mission to tackle systemic inequality and build fairer societies.

Read the rest of the series on outbound student mobility:
How can we revive the popularity of exchanges and study trips? Make students feel safe

Lucas Lixinski is professor and associate dean (international) at the Faculty of Law & Justice, UNSW Sydney.