Over a third of UK students are interested in studying abroad

Ahead of the annual Going Global conference next week, the British Council today released a report, “Broadening Horizons: The Value of Overseas Experience”.

The report examines overseas study, using research administered by the British Council in the UK and US. A survey of full-time UK students received 2,856 responses and a similar US survey received 4,625 responses.

“The UK and the US have long been the top two study destinations for international students globally but there is a substantial imbalance of mobile students in each country. With the intention to promote overseas study, each of these countries in recent years has established initiatives, such as the UK Strategy for Outward Mobility and the Generation Study Abroad programme in the US. Through the Broadening Horizons series, we aim to understand UK and US students’ prevailing perceived drivers and barriers to outward mobility to affect positive change at the individual, institution and national level” says the report.

According to the report, 34% of UK students are interested in overseas study and are most likely to be interested in studying abroad for one year at undergraduate level. Of those who were interested in study abroad, 31 per cent had already completed at least one study abroad experience.

US students are slightly different with 54% of US respondents interested in studying abroad and most likely to consider a one semester experience at undergraduate level.

For UK students, the most desired destination for study was the US, which is unsurprising, but 42% of respondents stated that they would like to study in non-English speaking countries. 11% of UK students would like to study in Australia. US students most wanted to travel to the UK but showed interest in Europe as well as Japan, China and South Korea.

How does this reflect what’s happening in overseas study at the moment? According to UNESCO, the top destination for UK students is the US, followed by France, Ireland, Germany and Australia. According to the UK Higher Education International Unit, 70 per cent of UK undergraduate student mobility takes place in Europe, with 25 per cent of students studying in France and 17 per cent in Spain.

The most desired courses to study abroad for UK students were Creative Arts and Design followed by Social Studies and Business and Administrative Skills.

The cultural experience of studying abroad had a stronger pull than academic or employability factors for both UK and US students. According to the report UK students valued study abroad as a ‘unique adventure’ more than a resume-builder but were still more likely than their US counterparts to recognise and be motivated by career-related factors.

For most students, costs, personal well-being and lack of language skills were listed as the main deterrents to study abroad and also the top concerns for those who aspire to overseas study. The report states that, “The perceived barriers to study abroad by US students uninterested in overseas study were the same as the concerns held by those interested in the experience: disinterest in leaving one’s family, lack of language skills and costs”

Of the 2,856 students surveyed, 1,384 were not interested in study abroad and 545 had not made a decision. When asked to select the statement they most identify with 47% responded “I want to have fun traveling and exploring different cultures” and a further 15% responded “I want to work for an international company and live overseas”. At least 62% then of the students surveyed are interested in travelling and living abroad, so what are the academic barriers?

The report says that for UK and US students uninterested in study abroad, help with funding and foreign language training incentivise would incentivise a change of mind.

UK and US students who had already studied abroad were less concerned about overseas tuition being high, indicating a gap in perceptions between them and those who hadn’t studied abroad

The report states that many students don’t feel informed enough to make the decision to study overseas. “While 84 per cent of UK students who have already studied abroad had enough information to inform their decision, just 56 per cent of those aspiring to study abroad, 32 per cent of those who don’t want to study abroad and 14 per cent of those who are undecided regarding outward mobility indicated they had adequate knowledge prior to their decision”.

Finally, according to the report, “Thirty-five per cent of UK students and sixty-three per cent of US students who had already studied abroad knew about government-sponsored programmes for overseas study”

The research will be launched at the British Council’s annual Going Global conference for leaders of international education, on June 2nd in London.