Higher education has one role: to improve the lives of students. While some institutions are trumpeting on-campus benefits like lazy rivers, luxurious dorms and multi-million-dollar esports arenas, it is the experiences that have nothing to do with these headline-grabbing facilities that are most likely to transform students’ lives.
Horace Greeley, a 19th-century American newspaper editor, famously said during the westward expansion of the U.S., “Go west, young man,” advising young people to travel for self-improvement. For modern undergraduates, studying abroad has proven to be an effective way to get outside their comfort zones, improving their GPAs, increasing their likelihood of staying in college, and equipping them with the skills employers value. Students studying foreign languages are not the only ones who benefit from going abroad; the experience also leads to improvements in the time-to-graduation and grades of students in STEM majors.
Resort-style dorms and top-notch climbing walls may sway students to apply to universities, but they play a small role in increasing graduation rates and producing successful students. The benefits of studying abroad significantly outweigh the luxury accommodations that are increasingly common at institutions of higher education. Graduates decades later will not remember the amenities in the student union or the university bowling alley, but they will undoubtedly use the perspectives and skills they gained from their international experiences.
Cost is the main reason students do not partake in study abroad programs, but some universities are wisely allocating funds for these impactful experiences. For example, here in Florida, Rollins College sends 75% of its students abroad and is No. 5 in the country for sending students abroad among master’s degree-granting institutions.
Institutions that have successful study abroad programs have built this activity into the fabric of students’ undergraduate experiences. The University of Florida has seen a 32% increase in students going abroad over the past year by incorporating study abroad information sessions into the student onboarding process, prior to students matriculating, and by increasing campus awareness through the UF International Center.
Ideally, funds for study abroad activities should be “new” recurring money, but it is naive to think that colleges and universities have access to funds to support study abroad opportunities for all students. However, institutions could invest some of the millions earmarked for projects that do not directly impact student success in study abroad experiences.
It is no coincidence that the top institutions for studying abroad are also among the highest-ranked universities in the U.S. Happy and successful students are more likely to graduate, donate back to their institutions, mentor current students, and be in a position to steer funds back to their colleges and universities.
In Greeley’s mid-19th-century America, heading west into the unknown was a way to make one’s fortune. In some ways, the same is true today, as international travel fosters many of the skills students need to thrive in an ever-changing world. To provide students with these opportunities, institutions should allocate funds for study abroad programs, which will transform their students’ lives.
Brian Harfe is a professor at the University of Florida who serves as the director of 14 international exchange programs and a study abroad program.
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2026/01/11/commentary-prioritize-programs-to-send-students-abroad/
