In today’s global economy, employers are increasingly interested in candidates’ resumes that include international studies or professional internship experiences. The University of Colorado Denver is preparing its students to meet the challenges of a modern workforce through an exciting new range of study abroad and internship abroad programs.

“CU Denver students returning from China, Italy, France, India, and a host of other countries where we offer study abroad programs, report improvements in their academic performance and future career prospects,” explained Diego Garcia, Director, Global Education: Study Abroad.

“It’s great to see how the interest is growing and how we can customize programs that fit a student’s professional goals.”

The numbers tell the story: institutional research from many sources highlight the benefits of studying abroad:

• nearly 90% of study abroad alumni found their first job within six months of graduation, as compared to only 49% of respondents of the general college graduate population who found work within a year of finishing school (IES Abroad)
• 80% of study abroad alumni claimed that studying abroad helped them to better adapt to diverse work environments (AIFS)
• three-quarters of study abroad alumni said that they acquired skill sets that influenced their future career paths (IIE)
• graduation rates for first-year CU Denver students who participated in study abroad programs is 92.2% compared to 72.9% for students who did not have a study abroad experience (OIRE)

In addition to CU Denver’s Global Study Scholarship, there are a number of federal, university, and non-profit organizations that offer scholarships.

“October is a busy month. We’re offering more faculty-led programs than in previous years, and we’ve extended the application deadlines for CU Denver’s Winterim study abroad programs. The OGE staff and student peer advisors are responding quickly and helping students to take advantage of the increase in scholarships and the diversity of programs,” said Garcia.

Adam, a CU Denver political science major, commented, “When I realized my career path, I really needed a more concrete idea of how people lived and worked in another country. Going to Korea really structured those ideas.” He added, “It’s important to be able to study abroad and gain a greater knowledge of the world we live in. We are no longer an isolated country.”

“A lot of people think studying abroad is super expensive; but honestly, the program that I did wasn’t much more expensive than staying here for a semester,” noted CU Denver student Brienna, who studied in Croatia.

“Everything I gained was completely worth it, and I would do it again.”

To learn more and apply to a Winterim or Maymester/Summer study abroad program, visit the Global Education: Study Abroad website, email study.abroad@ucdenver.edu, or contact us for an appointment. Application deadlines for the Winterim programs end on October 15.

Global Education: Study Abroad
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