Every year, over half of Georgetown’s juniors pack their bags and head abroad for a semester, part of more than 1,000 Georgetown students who participate in programs across over 50 locations worldwide, including study programs in Qatar, Singapore, Copenhagen, and beyond.
For many Hoyas, studying abroad is a rite of passage.
For a university like Georgetown, known for its emphasis on international engagement and rooted in its Jesuit mission of creating globally aware, open-minded students, studying abroad has become more than just a break from campus. Instead, students see the opportunity as an extension of the university’s approach to learning and engaging with the wider world.
Across the globe, around 6.9 million university students study abroad annually, a number that has continued to rise over the past few decades. However, in the United States, only about 1.1 million students (6% of all college students) participate in these programs annually. Georgetown surpasses this national average, with about 10% of undergraduates over the past three years studying abroad, and participation has risen each year since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Georgetown’s Director of Global Education, Craig Rinker, has been working for the Office of Global Education (OGE) since 2012. During his tenure, Rinker has prioritized accessible and transformative study abroad programs, guided by his prior involvement with organizations like National Association of Foreign Student Advisers and the Forum on Education Abroad.
“Study abroad participation is strong and has returned to pre-pandemic levels,” Rinker wrote in an email to the Voice.
Some students returned to the Hilltop after studying abroad in the fall semester said the new presidential administration has heightened their interest in studying abroad, as they felt increasingly interested in the idea of leaving the country. In fact, one study abroad website saw traffic from U.S. users triple the day after the election, which continued to be 45% above average a week later. However, according to Rinker, this sentiment among students nationally has not yet translated into noticeable changes at Georgetown.
“We haven’t seen any clear connection between U.S. politics and students’ interest in studying abroad,” Rinker wrote. “Georgetown students continue to choose programs that fit their academic goals and personal interests.”
There is, however, a minor projected increase in study abroad from the 2024-2025 to the 2025-2026 school year. According to the OGE, 913 undergraduate students studied abroad in the 2024-2025 academic year, which is an increase of 75 students or 9% compared to the previous 2023-2024 school year.
For Hoyas, junior year is the most popular time to study abroad. Riner noted that by junior year, most students have declared their majors, completed core requirements, and can easily integrate their study abroad coursework into their degree plans. Studying abroad at this time of a student’s undergraduate journey offers a much-needed change in scenery after two years on the Hilltop.
“They’re also looking for ways to connect what they learn in the classroom to real-world experiences, improve language skills, and grow more independent and confident in unfamiliar settings,” Rinker wrote.
Luke Hughes (SFS ’27) studied abroad in Australia during the fall semester, and has been looking forward to the opportunity even prior to his arrival at Georgetown.
“It just seems like a great experience to see the world, take classes that you can’t take in the U.S., meet people from all over the world, and just take a break from the fast-paced college life,” Hughes said.
Some experiences abroad, students say, simply can’t be replicated on campus.
Hughes took a class called ‘Coral Reefs and a Changing Climate,’ and the class culminated with a week-long trip to the Great Bay Area where students conducted experiments on a research station island called Heron Island.
Not every Hoya, however, arrives at the decision to study abroad with unbridled enthusiasm. Christina Yu (CAS ’27), who also studied abroad in Sydney, Australia during the fall semester, initially hesitated due to strong ties to campus life and ministry.
“I didn’t really initially want to study abroad. I had applied mostly because my parents wanted me to,” Yu said “A lot of my life is here in D.C.”
However, after thinking about what she could gain from her time abroad, Yu began to rethink her initial hesitation.
“I started feeling like this could actually be restful, fun, good, and growing, even if there were hard parts like adjusting, loneliness, and missing out on some things,” Yu said.
Yu also reflected on the mindset shift that came with the independence she was required to cultivate every day while living abroad.
“It was almost like living another life for six months and seeing how I experience things.” She said going abroad helped her understand in what environments she thrived and what she enjoyed but also what was hard or unhelpful. “It showed me ‘I can do this,’” Yu said.
Study abroad programs can serve as both required components of certain majors, like Business and Global Affairs with its mandatory cohort trips abroad and Global Health which requires seniors to complete a fall-semester research practicum abroad, or complementary experiences to coursework, such as for SFS students who can fulfill their language proficiency requirement through approved immersion programs abroad. Other programs mandate studying abroad, such as the Business and Global Affairs (BGA) program, in which students must participate in mandatory cohort trips abroad. Global Health majors are also required to spend the fall semester of their senior year abroad completing a research “practicum” in order to meet their course requirements.
Still, not everyone can, or chooses to, go abroad. Financial and issues are common barriers, with 80% of U.S. college students saying insufficient funds prevent them from studying abroad, and nearly half of students who don’t plan to study abroad citing costs as the key reason.
To alleviate potential financial barriers, the OGE offers students the options to carry over their need-based aid, including grants, loans, and scholarships, to semester or year-long study abroad programs. OGE also often recalculates need-packages to cover the higher costs of studying abroad. Students can also qualify for additional funding, such as housing and travel stipends for summer programs, alongside equity-focused scholarships for underrepresented or low-income students.
Similarly, the OGE provides resources for potential visa-related issues. The OGE works with the Office of Global Services (OGS) to provide students with resources such as visa verification letters and early-planning guides. The OGE relies on guidance from OGS in coordinating international students’ study abroad plans, including assistance with visas, legal requirements, and access to the International SOS portal for medical guidance, emergency assistance, and travel support. This ensures that students already studying outside their home countries can fully participate in global programs.
Studying abroad has proved an attractive choice to international students, even though they are already away from their home countries at Georgetown. Rinker noted that international Hoyas study abroad at around the same rate as the Georgetown undergraduate population in general.
“While international students are pursuing their degrees abroad, we define study abroad as education that results in progress toward an academic degree,” Rinker wrote. “Studying abroad allows students to explore additional regions or academic perspectives beyond their home and host countries.”
Even without financial or visa-related issues, some students say homesickness or strict major requirements make it difficult to study abroad. OGE has responded to these qualms by offering shorter summer programs, allowing students to experience global learning without disrupting their academic year.
“Summer programs are really appealing for those who want a shorter experience or have tight academic schedules during the year. It often comes down to what works best for their degree plan and personal goals,” Rinker wrote.
OGE has a list of up to 155 semester, full year, and summer study abroad programs in approximately 55 countries available to all Georgetown undergraduates, a number that has steadily grown over the past few years. Despite the growing diversity of program locations, students preferences remain relatively consistent.
“Italy, the United Kingdom, Spain, Denmark, France, and the Czech Republic remain among the most popular destinations for Georgetown students, consistent with national trends,” Rinker wrote.
Georgetown’s satellite campuses in Doha, Qatar and the Villa Le Blaze in Florence, Italy also continue to draw a significant number of students.
Georgetown’s commitment to study abroad reflects the Jesuit value to develop “people for others,” which emphasizes service to the wider community over just prioritizing individual growth. For many students, the abroad experience brings this value to life because it opens their perspectives outside the confines of the Hilltop. This experience gives students a way to further develop socially, academically, and personally, giving them the tools to engage more thoughtfully with the world around them once they leave Georgetown.
“Students are excited to step outside their comfort zones, both academically and personally,” Rinker wrote. “Many want to see the world from a new perspective, experience different cultures, and build skills that will serve them long after graduation.”
For Yu, the experience of going abroad extended outside of academics into spiritual and relational growth, ultimately changing how she looks at service.
“Seeing what Christianity looks like in Australia gave me more data points and a broader understanding of what it can look like cross-culturally.” Yu said. “It changed how I think about ministry, more big-picture: What are the goals of our ministry? What structures do we have to accomplish them? How effective are they?”
Returning to campus, Yu has found ways to integrate what she learned abroad into her everyday life at Georgetown. She also noticed that her semester in Australia changed how she leads Bible studies. Now she approaches them with clearer goals: what she wants people to gain over the semester, and she tailors her questions and discussions to create more meaningful change in participants over time.
“Study abroad gave me a taste of what that life could look like, and ideas for ways to bring some of that back to Georgetown, shaping how I approach relationships or ministry,” Yu said.
Studying abroad, Hughes said, also renewed his appreciation for Georgetown’s Jesuit approach to education.
“A lot of my classes at Georgetown, even the science class that I’ve taken or the business classes– there’s lots of applications not only to the real world, but to real world issues and problems, and Georgetown is trying to create the next generation of leaders,” he said.
