Increasing Access to Study Abroad

Lack of financial resources, family support and role models are among the most common obstacles students cite for not studying abroad.

Two initiatives by KU Study Abroad & Global Engagement (SAGE) during the 2019-2020 academic year worked toward removing these barriers with the hopes of making international experiences more accessible to every student.

Last fall more than 145 students took part in the first-ever Passport Caravan, an event that opened the door for international travel. In addition, SAGE was awarded its third consecutive Freeman Foundation grant, which provides $400,000 over two years for scholarships to KU students interning in East and Southeast Asia. 

International education has measurable academic and career benefits for all students, yet KU data indicate that females and white students are more likely to study abroad than other student populations. That’s true nationally as well. The Institute of International Education, an organization that tracks study abroad data through the annual Open Doors Report, indicates that 67.3 percent of students who studied abroad in the academic year 2017-18 were women while 70.8 percent were white. 

“One of the primary goals of KU Study Abroad & Global Engagement (SAGE) is to increase the number and diversity of students participating in education abroad, such that the population of study abroad students mirrors the KU undergraduate student population across all academic disciplines and student demographics,” said Angela Perryman, director of SAGE.

Passport Caravan

By providing free passports to students, the Passport Caravan helped diverse students take the initial step toward participation in a study abroad program. Eligible students included first-generation college students, Pell Grant-eligible students and students traditionally underrepresented in study abroad. The event was developed in partnership with Undergraduate Studies, International Affairs, SAGE and the nonprofit international education organization, the Council on International Education Exchange (CIEE).

“The Passport Caravan provided students access to a passport and the resources and motivation to use it during their tenure at KU,” Perryman said.

Freeman Foundation Grant

Funding through the Freeman Foundation directly supports SAGE’s commitment to increase study abroad participation at KU to 30 percent of all undergraduate students and to ensure access to international education opportunities for all who want to participate. It also furthers the mission of the Freeman Foundation, which works to strengthen the bonds of friendship between the United States and countries of East Asia through student engagement in the region.

In 2019 with the support of a Freeman Foundation Scholarship, biology major Cierra Kahrs had the opportunity to intern at St. Luke’s Hospital in Singapore, where she was able to do more than just observe the culture from the outside.

“By working alongside individuals that have lived in Singapore their whole lives, I was able to hear their perspectives on many global topics. Through this I gained the ability to better communicate with people of different backgrounds,” Kahrs said. “Additionally, as an individual interested in the clinical side of medicine, I was able to gain new perspectives on health care. My internship helped to confirm my decision to pursue the clinical side of medicine as a career.”

Study Abroad received its first grant from the Freeman Foundation in 2014. Since then, it has awarded more than 200 scholarships to KU students with internships in China, Mongolia, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, Taiwan and Vietnam. Recipients come from diverse academic disciplines and nearly all of KU’s schools. The majority of students who have received Freeman Foundation Scholarships for East Asia Internships have never previously traveled to Asia, and more than 20 percent of recipients have not traveled outside of the United States prior to receiving the award.

“International internships enable students to gain a deeper understanding of the different cultures, economies, systems and values of peoples, and to apply that perspective to the context of the professional work environment,” Perryman said. “These experiences are critical to the mission of KU and to our efforts in graduating globally prepared students.”