Why Students Gain International Experience

Why do students go abroad for a semester or take part in international conferences? A study by the University of Würzburg has investigated this. The results provide recommendations for an internationalisation strategy. "I spoke to some people who had been there the year before and then, because they recommended it to me, I went there too." - "My professor called me and told me that I could apply for the Winter School and that the university would pay for everything for me. So I said: 'Yes, okay. Why not''" - "I'm afraid that I won't be able to find a good job back home and I just wanted to upskill myself a bit." There are many reasons why students decide to spend part of their studies abroad or gain other international experience. A new study from the field of adult and continuing education has systematically analysed these reasons. The findings provide recommendations for the internationalisation of degree programmes.