Will Study Abroad Programs Get A Boost From New Legislation?

Years ago, a bad experience with a university counselor—who all but assured me credits earned while studying abroad wouldn’t transfer—led me to drop the idea of taking a semester in the UK, a decision I have long regretted. So I was encouraged to read in Time this week that a bill pending before the Senate would give a much-needed boost to study abroad programs, helping universities eliminate the financial and curricular barriers that many students face when considering a year in Beijing or Barcelona.

According to the article, 206,000 students studied abroad in 2004-2005, a number representing just 1 percent of all Americans enrolled in higher education. The proposed legislation, which would provide more than $80 million in grants to eligible universities, aims to send one million students overseas each year by 2017.

Time notes that three years ago, the 9/11 Commission recommended increased funding for foreign study and exchange programs as a way to fight global terrorism. Of the bill under consideration, one official with the Association of International Educators says, “We view this as first and foremost a measure that is good for the foreign policy, national security and international leadership in the United States long-term.”

Amen to that.

Photo of Oxford by wit, via Flickr (Creative Commons).

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