If you want to boost your GPA, graduate on time, or improve your knowledge of cultural practices, studying abroad may be the thing for you. According to a new study conducted by the University of Georgia, studying abroad can make a lasting impression on a student in a wide variety of areas.

Don Rubin, professor emeritus of speech communication and language education at UGA established the Georgian Learning Outcomes of Students Studying Abroad Research Initiative (GLOSSARI) in 2000 to track how study abroad experiences affected students’ academic careers across the 35-institution University of Georgia system.

In 2010, the study found that students who choose to study abroad during their college years had higher graduation rates, improved knowledge of cultural practices and context and improved academic performances than those who chose not to study abroad. Rubin, who could not be reached for comment at press time, said in a press release from Inside Higher Ed that the age-old belief that students choose to study abroad to get away from their studies doesn’t appear to be true.

“I think if there’s one take-home message from this research as a whole it is that study abroad does not undermine educational outcomes, it doesn’t undermine graduation rate, it doesn’t undermine final semester GPA,” said Rubin. “It’s not a distraction.”

Not all findings of the study were positive, however, such as the facts that self-reported knowledge of world geography actually decreased over time for both study abroad and for a control group and also that no significant difference in knowledge of global interdependence between the two sets of students was found. Despite these findings, Rubin said that education abroad can do very little to harm a student’s academic career.

“At worst, it can have relatively little impact on some students’ educational careers, and at best it enhances the progress toward degree,” said Rubin.

The study also found that in the more than 19,000 study abroad students and almost 18,000 control group students, 49.6 percent of those who studied abroad graduated in four years, compared to the 42.1 percent of those who didn’t study abroad. The GPA’s also increased in the study abroad group from the time before they left to when they returned, 3.24 and 3.30 respectively.

Laurel Foster-Moore, an education abroad advisor at the UMass International Programs Office (IPO) said that the number of students choosing to go abroad at UMass each year is dramatically increasing.

The UMass Amherst IPO announced recently that the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship is now available for students who wish to study abroad. The basic requirements for applying for the scholarship are that one must be a U.S. citizen and be enrolled in a two or four year institution in the United States as an undergraduate student. For more information regarding the Gilman scholarship, visit www.iie.org/gilman.

“We keep getting more and more interesting students each year,” said Foster-Moore, “Sometimes the culture gap is tough, but if the American students persevere they will do great.”

Foster-Moore, who advises students who want to study abroad in Asia, has seen interest increase in this part of the world in recent years as well. Between 20-to-30 students study in Japan each year, 12-to-15 study in China each semester, and eight-to-12 study in Thailand each year.

“China draws those students who are interested in business and economics while many students are interested to learn more about Japan’s fascinating culture,” said Foster-Moore.

Leslie Fisher, who graduated from the University of Kansas and works with the College Year in Athens program studied abroad in Greece for a semester in 2008 and said she had the time of her life.

“I had heard that it really changes your perspective on things and it did,” said Fisher. “The greatest part was that I had mastered a foreign city and made local friends.”

Jennifer McKernan, who studied abroad in Ireland, Africa and Greece and works with the American Institute for Foreign Study (AIFS), said that her experiences helped her to get the job that she wanted to and complete her degree on time.

“Studying abroad really enhanced my career path,” said McKernan. “Because I was majoring in international education, it gave me a big advantage when I wanted to get a job.”

McKernan also said that no matter what a student’s major is, the study abroad option should be considered.

“Studying abroad looks excellent on your resume no matter what field you want to go into,” said Kiernan.

Dan Peltier can be reached at [email protected].