Why do Students Study Abroad?

Let us first look at the reasons behind why people want to study abroad. A research report compiled by ESN Brussels in 2012 gave us an idea of those reasons. A large majority of the participants of that research agreed that they would like to, or are currently studying abroad because of better opportunities for personal development, better working conditions and better salary abroad. Slightly more than half of the research participants listed having contacts in the country that they are planning to go to as one of the reasons for studying abroad. About half of them agreed that the lack of jobs in their home country and better social security abroad were among factors for studying abroad. However, the majority of respondents disagreed that the number of people from their home country abroad was a factor.

Next, let us look at the statistics of students studying abroad. Only 25% of students studying abroad are male while 75% are female. The difference is certainly staggering but not surprising as a significant number of studies have been conducted which show similar results. In a separate study conducted by the British Council, it was revealed the employability prospects of students with international education were higher. 75% of respondents say that their current employer would be more likely to employ someone who had studied abroad. 87% say that their experience abroad has made their interview more successful.

In addition, 86% say that they used evidence from their study abroad in their CV. It can be seen that studying abroad is useful when applying for a job. Finally, let us look at the most popular destinations for international post-graduate students.

GMAC's (2013) Prospective Student Survey listed the Top 10 Destinations for International Prospective Post-graduate Students. The list is as follows:

1. The United States
2. The United Kingdom
3. France
4. Canada
5. Singapore
6. Netherlands
7. Spain
8. Australia
9. Germany
10. Switzerland

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