CIEE Pledge to Lead Change in Study Abroad - August Update

CIEE’s Pledge to Lead Change in Study Abroad is a commitment of $6M over four years to help colleges implement new study abroad models that increase access to study abroad, enhance student outcomes, and improve institutional success through increased enrollment, student retention, academic success, graduation rates, and post-graduate employability.

Below are highlights from our three Pledge to Lead Change in Study Abroad partner programs at Arizona State University, the Borough of Manhattan Community College, and UC San Diego.

Congratulations to ASU, BMCC and UCSD for creating new models of study abroad that increase access to study abroad, improve student outcomes, and advance institutional goals. 

ASU Expands First Year Study Abroad Programs Across University

Designed to boost retention among high-risk students through early global exposure, ASU’s Early Start Global Accelerator has sent over 200 incoming first year students on a nine-day immersive program with CIEE in Monteverde, Costa Rica. Data from the first cohort shows the model works: participants achieved higher GPAs, earned more credits, and stayed enrolled at higher rates than their peers.

As a result of these positive student outcomes, other academic colleges at ASU have launched global initiatives for first year students at CIEE centers around the world:

• Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering: Monteverde, Costa Rica and Santiago, Dominican Republic
• W. P. Carey School of Business: Barcelona, Spain
• Barrett, The Honors College: Dual-city experience in Milan and Rome, Italy
• College of Integrative Sciences and Arts: San Juan, Puerto Rico

BMCC Global Internship in Paris Leads to Community Service Project

The BMCC Global Scholars Program seeks to cultivate a global perspective across the college by mobilizing faculty and students to help 1,000 students study abroad by 2028. The initiative supports first-generation, Pell-eligible, and at-risk students with the goal to improve first-year retention, degree completion rates, and post-graduation employability.

560 students have studied or interned abroad with CIEE in dozens of international cities. Early indications show retention rates are higher among students who completed one of the BMCC Global Scholars programs as compared to non-participating students.  

Kadidja Traore’s experience on CIEE’s Paris Summer Global Intern and Study program has inspired her to apply her computer science skills to drive positive social change.

UCSD Study Abroad Interns and International Employers Thrive

UC San Diego’s Future Innovators Program seeks to remove barriers to international professional development by increasing participation in study abroad among non-traditional, incoming Pell-eligible students. UCSD’s goal is to sponsor 180 first-year or transfer students on internships in in Berlin, Germany; London, England; Cape Town, South Africa; and Singapore.

80 students have participated in the program and survey results indicate participants feel significantly better prepared for future careers following their global internship.

International employers share how the benefits are mutual.