Key Takeaways
- There are multiple ways to gain an international college experience, from traditional study abroad to international branch campuses and dual-/joint-degree programs.
- The best global opportunity depends on your interests, intended major, and long-term goals.
- Once you’ve found colleges that are a good academic and financial fit, international opportunities can help you decide which schools belong at the top of your list.
There are countless factors to consider when building your college list: academics, majors, cost, location, culture, and so on. But beyond these, there’s another factor that you might have overlooked: global experience.
Are you an adventurous person? Do you love to travel? Do you enjoy language learning? Do you like experiencing cultures different from your own? If your answer is yes to any of these questions, maybe you’re looking to experience something beyond the traditional four years on an American college campus.
On social media, you’ll probably see someone spending a semester in Spain, another student announcing a dual-degree program with a university in France, or friends posting from internships halfway across the world.
Most students don’t realize that there are many ways to study internationally. If global experience is important to you, then understanding these options can help you build a better college list.
If you want to learn more about these options, this guide is for you.
Should Global Opportunities Affect Your College List?
Just like all other factors that determine the schools on your college list, your interests and goals should influence how much weight you give to international study opportunities offered by the schools you research.
International opportunities may deserve extra consideration if you:
- hope to major in International Relations, Political Science, Languages, Business, or Journalism,
- want to become fluent in another language,
- plan to pursue an internationally focused career, or
- simply hope to spend part of your college experience living abroad.
While most colleges offer study abroad opportunities, some universities have particularly extensive global networks, international campuses, or partnerships that make overseas study easier and more flexible.
With that said, not all international opportunities are the same; in fact, there may be more possibilities than you realize.
Understanding Your Options
Understanding how traditional study abroad, international branch campuses, and dual- or joint-degree programs differ can help you decide whether they belong on your college search checklist or not.
Traditional Study Abroad
Studying abroad is when a student pursues their academic goals in a foreign country.
Program lengths vary widely:
- Shorter: January (J-term) or winter break programs: 2-3 weeks
- Longer: Summer programs: 4-12 weeks
- Longest: Semester abroad or academic year abroad programs
No matter the length of your program, the opportunity to take college courses in another country and environment teaches you independence, provides broader networking opportunities, and immerses you in a new culture or language.
Some colleges are particularly known for offering great study abroad programs; for example, the U.S. News & World Report ranks New York University (NYU) and Elon University as the top two colleges for study abroad because of their high student participation, extensive program offerings, and integration of international credits with their curricula.
Alternatively, students can study abroad using a third-party provider such as CIEE or AIFS Abroad to explore more options worldwide.
Why would I be interested in study abroad in college?
If you’re a student who
- Wants to improve another language,
- Is considering graduate school abroad,
- Interested in international internships, or
- Wants to experience another culture,
then studying abroad is a great option to consider.
International Branch Campuses
Instead of temporarily leaving campus, some universities operate full-on campuses internationally.
International Branch Campuses (IBCs) are campuses that are owned, operated, and under the name of a higher education provider in a foreign country. IBC campuses are smaller and located in a country other than the main campus’s primary location. But after attending an IBC, graduates receive degrees with the main university’s credentials.
Some examples of IBCs:
- Weill Cornell Medicine – Qatar
- Georgetown University in Qatar
- New York University Abu Dhabi (UAE)
- New York University Shanghai (China)
- Georgia Tech – Europe (France)
Why should a student consider an IBC over traditional study abroad?
- Earn the same degree from the home university while studying at an international campus.
- Live abroad for your entire undergraduate experience, rather than just one semester.
- Potentially reduce costs through lower tuition, scholarships, or lower living expenses (depending on the campus).
- Build a global network through international classmates, internships, and career opportunities.
- Experience a different culture every day while maintaining the academic standards of the home university.
International Dual- and Joint-Degree Programs
International dual-degree and joint-degree programs offer you an academic experience with two universities in different countries.
Dual-degree programs typically consist of two years on an international partner campus and two years on your main college campus. After four years, graduates will receive two degrees from the two institutions that they attended.
Dual-degree program examples:
- Columbia University (partnerships with Sciences Po, Trinity College Dublin, and Tel Aviv University)
- UC Berkeley (partnerships with Sciences Po and University of Hong Kong)
Joint-degree programs are similar, but the degrees that graduates earn at the end of them differ more between programs. Some programs provide only one bachelor’s degree after two years each on two campuses, while other accelerated programs can offer both a bachelor’s degree and a master’s in five years.
Joint-degree program examples:
- William & Mary and University of St Andrews Joint Degree Programme
- Johns Hopkins University BA/MA in International Studies with Sciences Po
Why consider a dual- or joint-degree program?
- Experience two academic systems to learn teaching, research, and classroom discussion approaches from two different countries.
- Graduating with classmates, professors, and career connections from two universities would provide you with two strong alumni networks for expanding internship and job opportunities across countries
- Both dual- and joint-degree programs offer students additional academic credentials, like a bachelor’s or master’s, that they wouldn’t have been able to gain in the same timeframe otherwise
A dual-/joint-degree program may seem like the best of all worlds for some students. So, it’s important to mention some hurdles that applicants may need to overcome:
- These programs are often highly competitive, requiring additional essays or interviews and only admitting a small number of students each year
- Student schedules are also less flexible with these programs because students must meet strict graduation requirements from two universities rather than just one.
- Moving countries would require more planning about visas, housing arrangements, and academic coursework
- Although many programs are taught primarily in English, some encourage or require proficiency in another language
Choosing the Best Fit for Your College List
Once you’ve identified colleges that are a strong academic, financial, and personal fit, international opportunities can become an important way to compare similar schools. Rather than simply checking whether a college offers study abroad, take a closer look at how accessible and meaningful those opportunities are.
When doing your research, ask questions about:
- Accessibility: How many students study abroad each year? Can I study abroad without delaying graduation? Does financial aid transfer?
- Academic opportunities: Are there programs related to my major? Can I intern, conduct research, or complete service projects abroad?
- Global connections: Where are the university’s partner institutions? Does the college offer international branch campuses or dual-degree programs?
It is also important to note that while many colleges have study abroad opportunities, only a small number operate full international branch campuses or offer structured dual-/joint-degree programs with overseas universities. If you’re interested in these options, it’s worth researching them deeper since they often require separate applications or have limited enrollment.
Overall, if you have a lot of interest in these international programs and opportunities, comparing them between schools can serve as a valuable tie-breaker and can help you choose the campus that best aligns with your long-term aspirations.
Final Thoughts
Remember, international opportunity should not be the main factor that differentiates your top schools on your college list. Rather, you should gauge how much importance those offerings have on how you rank colleges on your list as a whole. If you decide that these opportunities hold a lot of weight, spend some time exploring the colleges that offer them.
The college experience isn’t limited to one campus or even one country. After understanding the possibilities that are out there, you’ll be able to build a better college list that reflects both where you want to study and the experiences you hope to have during your undergraduate years.
Atlas Education supports students through every step of the college application process – from building school lists and extracurriculars to writing essays, securing recommendations, and preparing for interviews.
