As the Paul Simon Study Abroad Foundation Act kicks into gear, many of us have concerns, and of course hopes, about the future. At StudyAbroad.com, we are in the unique position of being able to gather the information and opinions from those all over the study abroad field. As an organization that shares your goals in trying to increase the number of students who study abroad, we strive to help as much as possible.

That is the point of our most recent survey. We have collected data from more than 200 respondents on what you and your colleagues think of the future of this bill. The results are as follows.

What came first, the chicken or the egg? What's more important and most possible, increasing the number of students who study abroad, while maintaining the current level of programs, or increasing the number and variety of programs available? When asked what they would focus on most, if they could only focus on one aspect of study abroad in the first year of this new goal, 78.3% of study abroad advisers said they would work to increase the number of participants, while 21.7% said they would want to increase the variety of programs.

But what do study abroad advisers think of their chances of increasing participants? We asked them when, realistically, their school would be able to double its study abroad numbers, and these are the results:

2% 8.6% 19.9% 15.9% 34.4% 19.2%

One year Two years Three years Four years More than five years Not a foreseeable possibility

One way to increase study abroad numbers would be to expand the definition of study abroad. But when asked what they think should be the minimum length of a program to be considered officially studying abroad, advisers said:

3.8% 17.8% 59.9% 18.5%

Up to two weeks Two to four weeks Four weeks to a semester Any amount of time that is credited

So then why aren't more students studying abroad? We asked our study abroad advisers what they thought, and they told us it was because of:

5.8% 9.7% 19.5% 18.8% 46.1%

Marketing - Students do not know enough about it Policy - It's not mandatory Incentive - Benefits to studying abroad are not recognized Scheduling - It's hard to fit into academic life Other

While some blame the faculty perception of a lack of academic rigor for influencing the students not to go, or say it involves scheduling issues, or the lack of an institutional international vision, or a fear that the students won't be able to return home due to reciprocal visa issues, or time off from work as more than 40% of students have jobs, the vast majority (83%) of people who chose "other" claim that it is directly related to cost and finances. Most study abroad advisers believe that students don't study abroad because of cost.

So, consequently, how can we motivate more students to study abroad? Here's what the advisers had to say:

74% 10.4% 0.6% 5.2% 9.7%

Scholarships/stipends/travel credit Academic credit Discount on grad school Guaranteed low interest student loans Other

Of the people who chose "other," the two most popular were:

• Encouragement from peers, family, advisers and most importantly, the faculty (the institution)
• More information on relevance to careers