Editorial: The cost of study abroad

Globalization has a history of hundreds of years but has in the last two ramped up drastically. Settler-colonial empires, international organizations and transnational companies have all impacted the way that people worldwide perceive and engage with their global peers. Some nations fight for limited resources in an unequal world, while others profit immensely from cosmopolitan language studies. In light of this, a new expectation for young graduates competing in a global market is to have cross-cultural knowledge and international experience. Taking all this into account, study abroad programs in college become central to applying for the best jobs — programs that are not always affordable.

At Tufts, the study abroad experience is highly valued, at least in comparison to the rest of the United States. While only 10 percent of college graduates in the U.S. participate in a study abroad program, 40 to 45 percent of Tufts undergraduates do so.

However, Tufts offers only 10 programs for students looking to study abroad for a semester or full year. Boston University, on the other hand, offers 36 different study abroad programs, 24 of which are available to students enrolled at other universities.  Tufts offers one program in South America, one in Africa, three in Asia and five in Europe.The Office of Programs Abroad, however, ignores regions such as Australia and the Pacific, Central America, Eastern Europe and the Middle East. This is the case despite the fact that students can choose to focus their studies on these regions with majors such as Arabic, Middle Eastern Studies and Russian and Eastern European Studies.

Students with an increased interest in the regions excluded from Tufts study abroad must seek options for non-Tufts study abroad programs. However, this poses a significant problem for students on financial aid. A Tufts student who chooses to study abroad through Tufts will continue to receive their financial aid while abroad, but if that same student was to decide to study abroad through a non-Tufts program, their financial aid would not transfer. Students are only able apply for awards such as Pell Grants, state scholarships or Stafford loans while on a non-Tufts study abroad program. If the cost of the program is less than the cost of Tufts' programs, some students may not be eligible for their loans while abroad. Additionally, all students who study abroad through a non-Tufts program must pay the university a fee of $800 “to meet the cost of administrative procedures.”

Low-income students should be able to have the same opportunities as other students at Tufts, but this is clearly not the case. Students on financial aid at Tufts seeking to enrich their college experience through study abroad have a much smaller range of options than students without financial aid do. For lower-income students this could mean a disadvantage in the job market. Tufts should put more effort into equalizing opportunities for students across different socioeconomic classes, not perpetuating a lack of equal opportunity.

By adding new study abroad programs, Tufts would increase diversity in its study abroad enrollment and offer students — regardless of their financial status — an exceptional international experience.