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Before COVID-19, interest in study abroad at Lehigh University was at an all-time high. In the 2018-19 academic year, Lehigh had 768 students studying overseas, its largest ever cohort at the time, before the pandemic effectively shut down study abroad programs across the country.

Since that time, Lehigh has seen a rebound like never before. This past academic year, the university had 850 students studying abroad, an even larger number than pre-pandemic levels, and university officials say interest is only expected to grow in upcoming years.

“It’s been very encouraging to see the resurgence of engagement with study abroad programs following the onset of the pandemic, because study abroad is a cornerstone of the Lehigh experience,” said Cheryl Matherly, Vice President and Vice Provost for International Affairs at Lehigh’s Office of International Affairs (OIA). “It’s an essential component of our strategic goal of providing all students with meaningful international education opportunities.”

IES Abroad has seen a similar post-COVID rebound in its study abroad programs. Lehigh partners with the non-profit organization to offer its students global learning experiences. Since 2008, more than 850 Lehigh students have studied overseas through IES Abroad, which offers more than 140 study abroad programs in 30 locations around the world.

“IES Abroad has seen a record number of students the past year, and we expect that trend to continue,” said Amy McMillan, Senior Vice President of Global Marketing at IES Abroad.

A National and Region Trend

That has been the trend nationally, as well. During the 2021-22 academic year, study abroad across the United States rebounded to more than half of pre-pandemic levels, with 188,753 students pursuing opportunities abroad for academic credit, according to the Open Doors 2023 Report on International Educational Exchange.

Terra Dotta, a company that specializes in software solutions for colleges and universities, noted that among its 700 higher education institutions in the U.S. and abroad, the company has seen a dramatic increase in study applications on pace to surpass 2019 levels.

“Still reeling and recovering from lockdowns and remote learning, students are more eager than ever to explore the world and experience different cultures,” reads the company’s Study Abroad Survey: The Voice of the Students 2023.

The survey found 72% of student respondents hope or plan to participate in a study abroad program in the near future, and that 63% planned to do so in the spring of 2024. Eighty-four percent had a previous study abroad program canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Study abroad may be in for a return to the old days, at least if our underclassmen respondents have their way,” Terra Dotta’s survey reads. “Our students are planning to pursue global programming for personal growth and a love of travel, instead of solely as a means to create global workers. Combine that sentiment with a preference for in-person advising and semester-long trips to Western Europe, and it seems nostalgia may be taking root in a study abroad industry undergoing rapid change.”

Not Just “Revenge Travel”

When IES Abroad reopened its programs in Milan in the fall of 2021, it welcomed 119 students. Although this was the lowest enrollment in years, it surpassed expectations for its first semester following the pandemic, according to Michela Fontana, Faculty Coordinator at IES Abroad Milan.

Those numbers rose to 239 and 283 in the fall of 2022 and 2023, compared to 176 and 204 in fall 2018 and 2019, Fontana said. For the spring semester, student enrollment grew from 368 in 2022 to 499 in 2024, compared to 194 in 2018 and 229 in 2019, according to Marta Brambilla, Academic Department & Internship Coordinator at IES Abroad Milan.

“At the beginning, we thought it was ‘revenge travel’ – students traveling and studying abroad because they couldn’t during the pandemic – but it has continued to sustain,” Brambilla said. “It may also be part of a trend among Generation Z students who are more willing to travel and study abroad, and have an intercultural kind of experience during their university years.”

This trend has continued in other parts of the world where IES Abroad operates. In London, IES had about 320 students enrolled last semester, slightly higher than the semester before COVID-19, according to IES Abroad London Center Director John Ockey.

In Amsterdam, the government has set caps on students from abroad due to a national housing crisis, but IES is still seeing higher than expected enrollment numbers, according to IES Abroad Amsterdam Center Director Chantal Omloo. This spring, they returned to their spring 2020 enrollment numbers, which had been their highest ever before the pandemic.

“It's wonderful news that students are seeking out these opportunities again,” Omloo said. “And the demand doesn’t appear to be softening. It’s going to continue.”

“Rediscovering” Study Abroad

Allan Goodman, CEO of the Institute of International Education (IIE), agreed that there has been a post-pandemic rebound for study abroad, but it has not been equal across every country. For example, there were once 15,000 American students in China before the pandemic, and now that number is just over 300.

“It would seem that America has really rediscovered Europe, and that’s not a bad thing,” Goodman said. Europe was the predominant destination for study abroad in 2023, with 73% of students studying in this region, according to the Open Doors Report. It notes regions with slower growth in study abroad, such as Asia and Oceania, may be due to continued strict COVID-19 protocols during the survey period.

Despite the rebound and growing interest in education abroad, obstacles remain. A 2023 survey found that 72% of U.S. college students expressed a desire to study abroad, according to The Hill. But 84% of those students – as well as 34% of surveyed students who do not plan to study abroad – cited financial costs as the top factor holding them back.

Recently-passed legislation like the Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Program could help remove institutional barriers and assist with financial challenges for students seeking to study abroad, The Hill notes. Additionally, IES Abroad also offers millions of dollars in scholarships and aid to students, and recently announced a new initiative that vastly expands financial aid available for underrepresented, high-need, and Pell Grant-eligible students.

“Are we gonna have 1 million Americans study abroad some day?” Goodman said. “I don’t know. We don't even have half our population with passports, and half of those that do are over the age of 60. But generally speaking, the interest in studying abroad is there, and it’s growing.”