Marketing study abroad programs effectively: what do American business students think?

Purpose – The focus of this paper is to identify factors determining willingness to pay, preferences for geographic areas, and preferred times for study abroad and semester abroad programs. Design/methodology/approach – A unique survey instrument is utilized, which was administered to a section in the college of business of a regional university in Florida. The survey itself contains a variety of demographic questions. The survey also includes questions to assess students' financial conditions, interest in study abroad, parents' influence on study abroad, international experience, international program awareness, and willingness to pay for study abroad. Findings – Results reported here reveal that students consider various factors in their decision to participate in such a program, including not only the cost of the program, but also the academic and cultural components and the popularity of the professor. Factors determining the willingness to pay, preferences for geographic areas, and preferred times for study abroad and semester abroad programs also play a role. Research limitations/implications – There are biases in the sample limiting the generalizability of the results. Also, extra credit was offered as a reward for completing the survey, which may result in some students providing unreliable answers. Practical implications – The results of the study should be useful for any university that is currently developing a study abroad plan from both a marketing perspective and an attendance‐maximization viewpoint. Originality/value – This study is intended to be a first step in synthesizing and summarizing factors important to students as they make decisions regarding study abroad programs.