Although recent statistics show that white students are more likely to study abroad than minorities at institutions nationwide, Dartmouth has a narrower gap between the proportion of white and minority students who participate in study abroad programs, according to statistics published by the Institute of International Education.
Nearly 82 percent of students nationwide who studied abroad between fall 2007 and summer 2008 were white, compared with 64 percent of students at Dartmouth.
Dartmouth's financial aid policy, which continues through study abroad programs, is likely a significant factor in participation rates, according to Executive Director of Off-Campus Programs John Tansey.
"I think Dartmouth's financial aid policies help contribute to students across the board being able to afford programs, whether it be from minority backgrounds or not," Tansey said.
Approximately 60 percent of all students at Dartmouth study abroad, the highest participation rate in the Ivy League.
Dartmouth's higher rate of diversity in off-campus programs may also be partially due to the flexibility of the Dartmouth Plan and to the fact that students are able to take classes taught by Dartmouth professors while on programs abroad, Tansey said.
Although Dartmouth has a high rate of diversity in its off-campus programs, diversity within individual programs tends to vary, Tansey said.
He cited the Chinese foreign study program as an example of a program that tends to have more heritage speakers than other programs, he said.
A recent study of the factors motivating students to study abroad showed that white students are more likely to study abroad if they are open "to diversity and to challenges," according to The Chronicle of Higher Education.
"Minority students don't need to seek out cross-cultural experiences by traveling to another country because, in most cases, they already regularly interact across cultural differences in their everyday lives," researchers wrote in a recent study, "Running Head: Minority Student Intent to Study Abroad," according to The Chronicle.
The study examined 6,800 students at 53 institutions nationwide and was conducted by researchers at Augstana College and the University of Iowa, The Chronicle reported.
While Andrenne Coleman '13 said her Portuguese language study abroad was fairly diverse, she said she understood the appeal of going to a country with more familiar cultural values.
"I think it's more comfortable studying abroad where you're around people who are like you," Coleman, who participated on Portugese Language Study Abroad program in Brazil during Summer term 2010, said. "You're going to feel more at home."
Roland Mansilla '13, a Latino student, said he found the generalization that minority students are less driven by cross-cultural experience to be inaccurate. The different choices available at the College mean that regardless of background, students will be able to find programs that will expose them to completely different cultures, he said.
"Dartmouth offers many programs that give students opportunities to have new experiences," he said.
The same researchers found in another study that women are almost twice as likely as men to study abroad. Between fall 2007 and summer 2008, approximately 65 percent of students who participated in abroad programs nationwide were female, the study said.
In comparison, 59 percent of Dartmouth students who studied abroad during the same period were female, according to the Institute of International Education statistics.
Gender diversity also varies between programs, Tansey said. The Summer 2010 LSA in Brazil had a total of 17 participants, but only four were male.
"There have been discussions and general awareness that certain populations are under-represented in study abroad not only students of color, but also athletes and science and engineering students," Tansey said. "This is certainly something we pay attention to and try to make ourselves available to for outreach to the extent that we can."
