A Quasi-Experimental Approach to Understanding Study Abroad’s Impact on Academic Success Among Community College Students

The purpose of this study is to provide robust estimates of the potential link between study abroad participation and community college students’ academic outcomes, namely academic qualifications (GPA), progression toward degree (credits passed), and credential completion. Theoretically, study abroad is thought to impact students’ outcomes, academic and otherwise, through its value as an educational experience that disrupts students’ normal learning routines. Using both propensity score modeling and difference-in-differences analysis, I find limited evidence of a causal connection between study abroad participation and any of the three outcomes explored in this study. While a consistent significant positive relationship between study abroad and both GPA and percentage of credits passed was observed in propensity score matching models, this relationship was not found in difference-in-differences models, suggesting residual selection bias in the former set of models. While this study’s results are likely to be viewed as problematic by practitioners in international education who champion the benefits of international education, it is important to note that study abroad may be related to outcomes that are more proximal to the abroad experience itself (e.g., gains in intercultural competence) and that study abroad does not appear to harm students’ academic prospects.