This paper examines the current status and challenges of study abroad promotion policies in the US and Australia from a comparative perspective. Both countries have three points in common regarding such policies. First, the two nations have the ambitious numerical targets of study abroad participants and work on expanding the range of such participants in order to achieve the targets. In particular, they try to increase the number of short-term study abroad participants and to expand the diversity of them, improving the flexibility of short-term study abroad programs. Second, the two countries have a policy objective of contributing to their economic development by cultivating human resources, through study abroad, that can play an active role in the global economy. Because of this objective, the governments of the two countries can make efforts to promote study abroad through public-private partnerships. Specifically, they receive funds from the business community for developing new study abroad programs including internships abroad as well as scholarships for study abroad. Third, both countries have a policy to promote studying abroad that spans the medium and long-term mission of diplomacy and economy. However, despite the timeframe of such mission, their study abroad policies are effective for a fixed short-term.
The difference between the two countries’ policies is that the US tries to utilize more private funds and resources in the policy implementation than Australia does. The implication of this study for Japan is that the country needs to coordinate its study abroad promotion policy and foreign policy. Currently, the rationale of Japan’s study abroad promotion policy concentrates on revitalizing the Japanese economy. More specifically, it is for Japanese graduates to work for Japanese companies that will do business around the world. Powerful economic pressures favor the policy, but the enhancement of diplomatic relations is not engaged with as much.
