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Benefits of Study Abroad
Can studying abroad jump-start your career? Our findings say yes!
By living and learning abroad, IES Abroad students develop highly sought-after professional skills—adaptability, communication, self-awareness, confidence—that not only make them more hirable, but also launch their career.
Pretty soon you'll realize weekends are meant for travel...to another country.
Develop Your Language Skills
When you study abroad, you don't just learn the language, you live it!
Gain Professional Experience
An international internship is a great way to boost your résumé.
Step Outside of Your Comfort Zone
Walking to class, catching a bus to another part of town, and chatting with locals are daily adventures.
Form Friendships
From classmates to host families, before you know it strangers become friends.
Increase Your Self-Confidence
Our students know it best: “The first person you find abroad is yourself.”
Can studying abroad jump-start your career? Our findings say yes!
By living and learning abroad, IES Abroad students develop highly sought-after professional skills—adaptability, communication, self-awareness, confidence—that not only make them more hirable, but also launch their career.
From a groundbreaking 50-Year Alumni Study (2002) to a timely study of economic recession/post-recession outcomes (2012), IES Abroad has a rich history of leading the field of international education in quantitative research on the practical outcomes of studying abroad. The most recent study was conducted in April 2016 to assess the impact study abroad has on a recent graduate's career. A total of 1,205 IES Abroad alumni who graduated college between 2012 and 2015 responded to the survey.
Our survey findings show key career benefits of study abroad, including:
Increased Hireability
Most IES Abroad alumni feel that studying abroad helped them develop valuable job skills, such as language proficiency, cultural understanding, tolerance for ambiguity, adaptability, and self-confidence.
Higher Starting Salaries
IES Abroad alumni earn an average of $6,000 more in starting salaries (compared to recent U.S. college graduates from the National Career Outcomes Report).
Jobs Secured More Quickly After Graduation
Nearly three quarters of IES Abroad alumni secured their first job within two months of graduation.
Higher Acceptance Into Grad School
90% of IES Abroad alumni continuing on to graduate school earned admission into their 1st or 2nd choice graduate or professional school.
“Employers understand the extraordinary benefits of study abroad, and many seek out graduates who made their study abroad dreams a reality. After all, the skills you learn when you’re abroad—adaptability, global understanding, leadership, and independence, to name a few—are directly applicable to finding success in any professional environment. From the boardroom to the classroom and everywhere in-between, changed lives change the world.”
“Employers understand the extraordinary benefits of study abroad, and many seek out graduates who made their study abroad dreams a reality. After all, the skills you learn when you’re abroad—adaptability, global understanding, leadership, and independence, to name a few—are directly applicable to finding success in any professional environment. From the boardroom to the classroom and everywhere in-between, changed lives change the world.”Gregory H. • President & CEO of IES Abroad
