Advantages of study abroad from the students’ perspective

Purpose-the aim of this paper is to compare the perceptions of future and former international students on the advantages of study abroad and to investigate the correlation between them, as well as to find out empirical evidence for the patterns identified in the literature review. Design/methodology/approach-the study is using quantitative methods: 213 questionnaires from students participating at a university fair and 19 in-deep interviews with former international students; SPSS was used to analyze the correlation and the cluster method to classify the advantages of study abroad. Findings-a strong correlation between the two sets of advantages was found; the perception of future and former international students on advantages of study abroad support the patterns identified in the literature review. Valuable advice provided by former international students regarding the difficulties and challenges of study abroad and how to face them were found. Practical implications-based on former international students’ experience, a guide including coping the challenges of study abroad will be provided. Originality/value-this study contributes to a better understanding of advantages and disadvantages of study abroad, providing a Romanian insight of the issue. Limitations-the small ratio between the number of interviews and the number of questionnaires.