As public discourse increases around issues of equity getting into college, succeeding there and landing a good job after, some researchers are studying racial disparities in often-overlooked areas such as study abroad.
White students are the overwhelming majority of American college students who travel internationally to study at some point during their college education, an adventure that personally enriches, adds an impressive line to a resume and often translates into academic cache before graduation.
According to the 100-year-old Institute of International Education (IIE), 70.8 percent of U.S. college students who studied abroad in 2016-17 were White. Among ethnic and racial minority students, Hispanics were highest at 10.2 percent, Asian and Pacific Islanders constituted 8.2 percent and African-American students were 6.1 percent.
Meanwhile, students self-identifying as multiracial were 4.3 percent. American Indian and Alaska Native students were barely represented at .4 percent.
IIE data going back to the 2005-06 academic year, however, indicate that the racial gap has narrowed as the number of students studying abroad has steadily climbed. Over the 12-year period, the percentage of White study abroad students steadily decreased from 83 percent – down almost 13 percentage points – as the number of students studying abroad rose from 223,534 to 332,727.
Hispanic participation increased, nearly doubling as a percentage, while Asian/Pacific Islander, Black and multiracial percentages also rose. The only minority group that declined was American Indian/Alaska Native, which decreased from .6 percent to .5 percent in 2006-07, holding steady until dropping to .4 percent in 2016-17.
Helping to reduce the disparities are increased efforts by Hispanic serving institutions (HSIs), historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and other minority serving institutions (MSIs) that promote study abroad opportunities for underserved students.
