Persistence and Study Abroad 1 Running Head: PERSISTENCE AND STUDY ABROAD Persistence at a Liberal Arts University and Participation in a Study-Abroad Program

A longitudinal study with 6 years of cohort data examined the association between persistence at a private liberal arts university and participation in a study-abroad program. After adjustment for several factors that are known to affect persistence, results of regression analysis showed that students in the study-abroad program persisted longer than non-participants. According to Tinto’s Theory of Individual Departure, persistence is related to how much a student is integrated into the academic and social subsystems of the university. It is hypothesized that participation in the study-abroad program contributed to both academic and social integration. Statistical, practical, clinical, and economic significance of the results are discussed