Study Abroad Funding Recap

Thanks to a new kind of fundraising, crowd-funding, the number of students taking advantage of study abroad opportunities may increase.

This increase may be due, in part, to the fact that crowd-funding uses social media as a catalyst for raising money, and college students are typically social media savvy.

While there are typical financing routes, like scholarships, family contributions, financial aid, and working to save enough money, sometimes students need an even more powerful tool in order to be successful.

"Social media is... one of the biggest catalysts for why this type of funding exists," said Thomas Coke, an expert on the topic of crowd-funding and former crowd-funding securities regulator for the state of Michigan.

Thoughts on this type of fundraising were varied, with one student supporting its potential as a supplement to competitive scholarships, another detesting how it seems like begging for money, and yet another currently running a crowd-funding campaign.

Study Abroad Funding Preview

A new type of fundraising, crowd-funding, offers students another way to finance their study abroad experiences, potentially increasing the percentage of American students that study abroad.

Although the number of students studying abroad has hit a record high, the Institute of International Education's Open Doors press release said less than 10 percent of all American undergraduates will study abroad by the time they graduate.

Thus, the issue stands of encouraging the other 90 percent of students to take advantage of study abroad opportunities that have serious benefits for employment and educational opportunities.

"Study abroad is a journey of self discovery and exploration of another culture and way of life, all in the academic setting. It deepens and broadens the entire educational experience," said Dr. Jane Blyth, Director of Study Abroad and Global Program Development at Western Michigan University, of the benefits of studying abroad.

Economic factors were among the many cases for limited American student participation, according to the press release. 

However, crowd-funding opens new doors to students looking to finance an educational experience using social media as a catalyst for their cause.

Crowd-funding is a topic with many points of view, as expressed by several students that were interviewed.