Leicester signs Go International pledge

Our University has joined a national campaign to encourage more students to gain an international experience.

As part of Universities UK International (UUKi) Go International: Stand Out campaign, Leicester will bid to  increase the number of UK-domiciled undergraduate students who study, work or volunteer overseas for two or more weeks during their studies.

Currently just 6.6% of students complete a placement of this kind. This is despite evidence that outward student mobility can improve both academic and employability outcomes. In April 2017, UUKi launched the national strategy for outward student mobility to double this figure to 13% by 2020. Via this campaign, UUKi aims to galvanise the higher education sector to act collectively to achieve this vision.

When compared to students who don’t complete a placement, students who go abroad are 9% more likely to gain a 1st or 2:1 degree and 24% less likely to be unemployed. Those in work six months on from graduation are 9% more likely to be in a ‘graduate’ job earning, on average, a 5% wage premium.

These gains are particularly significant for students from disadvantaged backgrounds – but they are the least likely to participate in outward student mobility. Compared with peers who stay in the UK, graduates from more disadvantaged backgrounds who go abroad earn on average 6.1% more. Outwardly mobile black students are 41% less likely to be unemployed after graduation than their non-mobile black peers.

For more information see the campaign report.