See the world, know the world: The case for study abroad

As the July 4 holiday approaches, Americans will hit the roads to vacation, visit family and friends, and see the country. Nearly 51 million people in the United States are projected to travel, according to the AAA — the highest number on record.

U.S. national parks are gearing up for a busy summer, rebounding towards pre-pandemic levels. So-called “revenge travel” is expected as people make up for lost time and splurge on summer trips.

But what about overseas travel? It’s often a good barometer of how citizens feel about their own country and about spending time in faraway nations. With the world in turmoil from war in Europe to rising tensions in Asia, many people might think twice about leaving the country.

Despite global conflict, demand to travel out of the country is skyrocketing. The U.S. State Department is on track to set a record for the highest demand year ever, far surpassing surges in 2007 and 2017 and exceeding official projections. Most popular is transatlantic travel, with three out of five searched destinations showing summer flights to Europe, according to Google Flights data.

But beyond individual travel overseas, there is something bigger that our nation needs to survive and thrive as a great power: study abroad. What we are lacking is the ability of most American families to send their high school and college kids to study outside the United States during their formative years.

The number of American students who go abroad for academic credit beyond short-term travel represents only 2.7 percent of American university students who attend four-year and above colleges and universities.

The Institute of International Education (IIE) has been tracking these numbers for decades. According to its most recent “Open Doors Report,” only 14,549 students went abroad in 2021/2021 — a 91 percent decline compared with the previous year, thanks to the pandemic. Even then, at its highest, the numbers of young Americans traveling overseas is too low; in 2018, just 35,000 U.S. students went abroad for academic credit, and the majority went to Europe.

Another problem for study abroad is a continued lack of representation for minority students. Every graph on this subject confirms that the majority of those studying abroad from American institutions are white and of means, and their primary destination is Europe.

For the United States to compete in a globally connected world, we must be globally connected. The benefits of studying abroad range from personal growth to business acumen. Data show that experience overseas leads to better jobs and higher incomes, as well as cultural understanding, tolerance, independent thinking and international networking. The true measurement of global health is the ability of a nation to expose its young people, on a routine basis, to other cultures.

So, what can be done to boost the numbers of young people studying abroad?

Government and the non-profit sectors are stepping up to create more incentives and opportunities for young people to go overseas. The American Passport Project, administered by the Institute for International Education, seeks to help 10,000 students get a passport by the end of the decade.

Last year, Congress passed the Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Act to expand access to federal grants, with a focus on access based on gender, ethnicity and income level. There is also a push to provide opportunities for students with disabilities to find programs overseas.

But we need more concerted efforts by companies, colleges and the U.S. government to provide scholarships, financial aid and federal support to incentivize young people to go abroad to study.

As we celebrate America’s independence, let’s re-commit to do what is in the national interest, to open our hearts and minds to those who live outside our borders and learn from them to enrich our own democracy. We must see and know others to understand ourselves.

Tara D. Sonenshine is the Edward R. Murrow Professor of Practice in public diplomacy at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University