Summary
- American students are increasingly choosing to study abroad in Europe, with over 66% of American students abroad now opting for European universities.
- Budget airlines have played a significant role in this trend, allowing students to travel affordably and easily within Europe, as well as to destinations in North Africa and the Middle East.
- The perception of studying abroad has shifted, with parents now seeing it as an affordable way for their children to explore different European cities every weekend without compromising their academics.
Prior to the pandemic, the number of American students studying abroad had grown exponentially, reaching a massive 350,000 students at any given time. The vast majority of these students were headed for European universities, and the proportion of American students abroad choosing to study on the continent has ballooned. In 2016, just over 50% of Americans studying abroad were in Europe, but that number has since grown to over 66%.
But now, more than ever, students aren’t choosing to complete an entire degree at a university but rather to complete a semester or a singular year of coursework abroad in Europe. Unsurprisingly, the incredible size, efficiency, and affordability of budget airlines have played an important role in this change. Thanks to budget airlines, a semester abroad in a single European city has become a ticket to not just the entire continent but sections of North Africa and the Middle East as well.
A difference from the past
Many may argue that previously, the existence of all-inclusive trans-European rail passes already made a semester abroad a ticket to the entire continent, but there were historically some limitations to this. For starters, many sections of Europe aren’t easily accessible by train. A student studying abroad in Ireland couldn’t just take a two or three-hour train to sunny Spain for a weekend or a brief rail journey to Oslo for the weekend.
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Often, American students studying abroad in Europe would forgo their studies in order to see the continent, something which would come at the detriment of their academics. For example, a student studying at the University of Brighton in Southern England would likely need far more than just a weekend to see the island of Crete by train. Multiple train transfers would be required, in addition to ferry rides within Greece. Today, five different budget airlines serve Crete from the London area, allowing for speedy connections and weekend getaways.
Photo: MBekir | Shutterstock
Price is another major factor affecting European travel in previous times. While rail connections across the continent were relatively slow, air connections were far more expensive, making them impractical for students of more modest means.
The tide has since turned
Opinions have changed drastically about studying abroad, especially among parents who are critical for determining the financial viability of their children studying abroad. Formerly, concerns over students skipping class to travel throughout Europe were a major factor limiting students’ decisions to study abroad.
Photo: Ilie Silviu Alexandru | Shutterstock
Now, that idea has disappeared, and more and more Americans have begun to appreciate the idea of spending every weekend in a different European city, thanks to $15 or $25 fares from Ryanair, easyJet or another low-cost carrier. Parents, more importantly, have begun to see studying abroad as even more of an affordably way for their children to see the world thanks to the offerings of budget carriers, without them compromising their academics.
Why European Budget Airlines Are Cheaper Than Their US Equivalents
Destinations like Morocco, Egypt and Istanbul are all a stone’s throw away from most major European education institutions thanks to budget carriers. Ultimately, ultra-low-cost carriers have begun to unlock Europe, the Middle East and North Africa not just to those who live there, but to America’s younger generations as well.
Source: NAFSA