Study Abroad for Low-income Students: The Relationship Between Need-based Grant Aid and Access to Education Abroad

Abstract

This study explores the factors influencing low-income students’ decisions to participate in study abroad while focusing specifically on the role of need-based financial aid in this decision-making process. Estimates account for systematic differences between students receiving and not receiving need-based financial aid using propensity score modeling (PSM) before disaggregating models by need-based aid status. Results indicate that the study abroad patterns of students receiving need-based aid differ significantly from those not receiving need-based aid, particularly on variables thought to consistently predict study abroad participation, such as gender and race/ethnicity. These findings suggest that financial need may not be the primary barrier to study abroad participation among financially needed students, and have important implications for policy and practice that is focused on opening access to study abroad to a diverse U.S. student population.