The Sophian

Issue date: 9/18/08 Section: News

Studying abroad is considered one of the highlights of an undergraduate education: the opportunity to study for a year, a semester, a summer or even a January-term in a foreign country, learning a different language or experiencing another culture. However, because of increasing exchange rates and a falling economy, studying abroad has become increasingly expensive for students, coinciding with recent lower enrollment rates for study abroad programs. The drop in study abroad participation has also had a wide-reaching effect at Smith, as more students decided to live on campus this year instead of studying abroad, creating a fall housing shortage.

According to statistics from the Office of International Study, there has been a drop in the number of students studying abroad this year. Over the past five years, the average number of students studying in year-long programs each year was 160. However, for the 2008-09 academic year, only 144 students are currently enrolled in year-long programs. Enrollment in fall semester study abroad programs is also less than the five-year average of 53, at 41 students. Statistics are not yet available regarding spring semester enrollment, so the overall number of students who will study abroad in 2008-09 cannot be calculated yet. However, while there has been a decrease in the total number of students studying abroad so far this year, the enrollment in Smith Junior Year Abroad (JYA) Programs has actually increased, from 56 in 2007-08 to 59.

The decrease in the number of students cannot be attributed solely to rising costs, as enrollments tend to fluctuate each year, but cost is definitely a concern for many juniors; study abroad can be very expensive.

The cost of studying abroad for a year or semester starts with the Smith Comprehensive Fee, which during the 2008-09 year totals $48,108. Smith uses the comprehensive fees to pay approved programs directly for tuition, room and board charges for the accepted students, or to fund the budget for Smith JYA Programs, a budget that totals approximately $2,992,000 for the year 2008-09. Full financial aid is also applicable for students who study abroad on JYA and Smith-approved programs.

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