The job market for graduates with foreign language proficiency and global knowledge is rapidly increasing, but so are the costs of education and world travel, making study abroad a financial burden for some students. Though there are huge benefits to studying abroad, the substantial amounts of time and money required to travel have left some experts questioning whether studying abroad is worth it. 

Brandon Bestwina, a senior in biomedical engineering, spent eight fully-funded months in Germany thanks to the Abrams scholarship. He received $10,000 to go abroad, but he was required to work full time in a lab until he earned back the money.

It took eight months of working 40 hours per week to pay the grant back, Bestwina said, and his study abroad experience also delayed his graduation.

“It set my graduation back a year to be gone for that long,” Bestwina said. “While I could get course credit for being there, I ended up having to miss taking a required class that is only offered every other year.”

According to Michelline Granjean, assistant director of the Study Abroad program, study abroad has a curriculum integration program to help keep students on schedule for graduation while still being able to go abroad. There are also general studies programs available, such as the London program, in which students can fulfill general education course requirements that they would eventually have to take anyway.

Granjean said undergraduate students who study abroad for a semester are required to take the equivalent number of classes as a full-time student at N.C. State. 

There are no required amount of credits students must take for summer sessions abroad, but they must take at least six hours to be eligible for financial aid.

However, especially for short-term study abroad programs, Granjean said the amount of time actually spent in the classroom depends on the nature of the program.

“It’s not always going to be your typical sitting in a classroom formal instruction, which is kind of the point of learning a subject in a different country,” Granjean said. 

Curtis S. Chin, the United States ambassador to the Asian Development Bank from 2007 to 2010, said in an article for The New York Times that studying abroad is not necessary for the ultimate success of a student, especially if the costs are a burden on financially troubled families. Others in that article also said they doubted how much students actually spend in the classroom during study abroad trips.

Though studying abroad might often come with a hefty price tag, Granjean said students have different options when it comes to program costs. 

A direct exchange allows students to pay N.C. State tuition and fees while abroad, which is often times a good deal for in-state students. A direct enroll is similar, but students have to pay the tuition and fees set by their chosen institution. This can sometimes be a smart choice for out-of-state students who pay more for school at N.C. State. 

There are also programs not affiliated with the University, but are planned through a third-party organization. These programs may come with additional benefits, such as cultural excursions or local support staff, which can increase their costs significantly, Granjean said. 

According to Bestwina, there was no way he could have gone abroad if he was not awarded the Abrams scholarship. 

Erin Jones, a junior in criminology who is currently studying abroad at the University of Leeds, said she did a direct exchange and is paying N.C. State’s tuition. She also was able to transfer her financial aid to help keep the cost down.

However, it was still a financial burden to pay for all the other expenses it takes to do a study abroad program.

“I still had to pay for my passport, tickets, visa and all my groceries and travel expenses,” Jones said. “It’s worth it, but it really does add up.” 

According to Bestwina, travel was one of his larger expenses. Bestwina said he was traveling for a total of one month out of his eight oversees. 

Though Bestwina and Jones agreed that the cost of living and traveling abroad is high, they both said the opportunity is once in a lifetime and they do not regret going, regardless of how much they spent. 

“It made me realize that I was too culturally self-centered,” Bestwina said. “I gained an appreciation for the way that people in other cultures live their lives that I could never have gotten here.”

Bestwina also said he got to experience learning other languages, which is a highly sought after skill in today’s job market. 

Granjean said studying abroad can have a beneficial effect on any student’s life, regardless of where they go or for how long they are there. 

“With any kind of high-impact opportunity that is outside of the regular college experience is going to be beneficial,” Granjean said. “The location doesn’t really matter, because what students get out of it is based on their individual interests and goals.”

Still, other college students would rather implement a gap year, which is common in Europe.

Jeanette Miranda, a senior at Brown University, wrote in the New York Times that she thought a gap year either before or after college is a better choice because it allows students to really immerse themselves in a new culture without having to worry about studying too much or missing out on essential courses while away.