The second dividend of studying abroad: The impact of international student mobility on academic performance

This paper investigates the effect of studying abroad on students´ success at university. Using an extensive dataset, propensity score matching is applied to account for possible self-selection into international mobility. Our empirical analysis suggests that a temporary study-related visit abroad significantly improves the final university grade, thus granting a second dividend in addition to personal experience. However, it seems that this effect is mainly driven by selective transferring of grades. Moreover, the study shows that a sojourn reduces the probability of finishing studies within the standard time period, suggesting that this dividend comes at a cost.