EdTech Connect – Episode Summary

Episode Title: David Nelson: Why 76% of Students Want to Study Abroad
Host: Jeff Dillon
Guest: David Nelson, Director of Study Abroad at Terra Dotta
Date: October 10, 2025
Episode Highlight: Ranked #4 in Apple Podcast Education Category

Overview: Main Theme and Purpose

This episode explores the growing demand for study abroad experiences among students, spotlighting the findings that 76% of students want to study abroad and over 90% see it as crucial for personal growth. Host Jeff Dillon and guest David Nelson (Terra Dotta) dig into current trends, key challenges, and innovative tech-driven solutions in international education. The conversation illuminates how technology, data, and collaboration can widen global access, reduce friction, and transform how universities support students’ international journeys.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introduction to Terra Dotta & Nelson’s Mission

• Terra Dotta’s Role: A global mobility solutions provider offering software for outbound and inbound study abroad, partnership management, and full-scale administration for international student offices.

  • David Nelson [01:52]:

    “Terra Dotta is a global mobility solutions provider. So we provide a lot of the software that drives the experience behind both outbound study abroad and inbound study abroad... beginning to end solution for study abroad offices.”

• Nelson's Transition to Leadership:

  • Sees role as a chance to expand impact from thousands to millions of students, enhancing access and support at scale.
  • [02:30]:

    “Now at the Terra Dotta level, we can affect that change for quite literally millions of students a year. So it's a really big chance to make a difference on a larger scale…”

2. Personal Experience & Benefits of Study Abroad

• Transformative Growth: Nelson’s own experiences living in Japan and Australia highlight the benefits of independence, communication, and cross-cultural understanding.
  • [03:32]:

    “Study abroad becomes that kind of critical inflection point in the growth of a student where they understand how much more they can do with their career and their life.”

• Career Impact: Students increasingly value study abroad for resume-building and distinguishing themselves in a globally connected workforce.
  • [05:34]:

    “When you're looking at jobs now, it's going to be anywhere in the world that you're competing at. So having study abroad experience on your resume really sets you apart.”

3. Trends & Student Preferences

• Rising but Focused Interest: While overall interest surges, recent political and safety concerns have driven students toward “safe” English-speaking destinations, especially the UK.
  • [04:40]:

    “Students are looking for destinations that are probably perceived as more stable... UK instead of alternative destinations…”

• Narrowing Choices Post-Pandemic: Student choices have become more concentrated in fewer destinations, unlike the more diverse pre-COVID spread.
  • [10:21]:

    “There was a lot more differentiation pre-COVID… students are selecting down into fewer destinations than they have in the past.”

4. Operational Challenges & Tech Innovation

• Resource Constraints and Automation: With limited budgets and staff, offices must use automation and AI to manage increased volume and rising student expectations for rapid response.

  • [11:32]:

    “Budgets are tight… So how do you do that better… automate? Like a lot of universities are Microsoft tenant organizations… and then run it through our AI agents to look at the file and recognize the need in that email…”

• Student Expectations: Modern students expect fast, automated communication — a major shift from manual, paper-based processes.

  • [12:58]:

    “These days if a student submits a form at 1 o’clock in the morning, they want that feedback right away...”

5. Affordability & Alternative Experiences

• Cost as a Barrier: 43% of students expect to spend $5-10K abroad, with a strong demand for financial aid guidance.
• Virtual Internships: Cheaper alternatives (sometimes <$1,000) offer prestigious placements (Netflix, Nike, Airbnb) and can meaningfully boost resumes, even if the intercultural experience is less immersive.
  • [14:00]:

    “We’ve seen some really great success with… virtual internships… students placed in a virtual internship like marketing and digital promotion in Dublin for Netflix…”

6. Evolving Mindsets in Program Selection

• Academic Alignment Over Destination: Purposeful university shift: students now prioritize programs that fit their academic trajectory, planning study abroad experiences as part of their degree path.
  • [16:32]:

    “That's been a very purposeful change…it’s not, you know, you don't pick based on the country…you go abroad based on the opportunity for your degree program.”

7. Data-Driven Program Improvement

• Leveraging AI and Student Feedback: AI consolidates thousands of feedback points to drive negotiations with providers, spotlight value, and steer offerings toward affordability and relevance.
  • [17:34]:

    “You can boil that down to very concrete numbers...and say, look, you're not cutting it. You need to make this better for our students...”

8. Early Engagement & Parental Influence

• Growing Early Interest: 40% of students develop aspirations for study abroad as early as high school.
• Parent Hesitancy: Parents often hesitate; universities now showcase study abroad in tours and emphasize safety/faculty-led options for reassurance.
  • [19:57]:

    “The parents almost become more of a critical factor to this…the parents always hear, oh, good, they're going with someone that's going to be looking.”

9. Digital Communication & Peer Influence

• Social Media as a Driver: Instagram and peer influencers shape broad perception, but can cause clustering around popular destinations (“super clusters”).

  • [22:27]:

    “Social media tends to make students interested in it… next year every student that walks in the door wants that same experience in that same country…”

• Diversifying Outreach: Offices must diversify communication tactics to broaden destination options and counteract clustering effects.

10. Collaboration in International Edtech

• Community Knowledge-Sharing: The field emphasizes peer collaboration over competition; innovations in automation and communication are often shared across institutions.
  • [23:56]:

    “One of the great things about the study abroad and the education abroad community…we’re all in it together... so... by having one institution come up with something great and new... it really provides that for students at all other institutions as well.”

11. Supporting Career Skills Development

• Career-Relevant Coaching: Tech allows for pre-, during, and post-abroad “coaching,” linking study abroad with real-world, resume-worthy skill-building (adaptability, cross-cultural communication) and employer connections.
  • [25:29]:

    “The coaching is really key and the technology has really helped us do that now…How do you articulate your experience? …If you really want to add this to your resume and make an impact in the future, let's get you in front of a couple of employers over there...”

12. Shaping the Future & Terra Dotta’s Vision

• Data-Informed Development: Student surveys (like the one discussed) help answer the “why” behind student choices, directly influencing Terra Dotta’s products and services.
  • [26:53]:

    “Examining the Why factor really helps us…when we’re building out development pathways…targeted guides and a lot of hand holding through the initial contact phase and tools for connecting the advisor and the student together…”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Evolution of Student Mindset:
  "[Now] you go abroad based on the opportunity for your degree program." — David Nelson [16:32]
• On Virtual Experiences:
  "If students are looking at an experience and it's $10,000 to do an on-site experience versus less than $1,000 to do a virtual internship, ... they get placed in a virtual internship like marketing and digital promotion in Dublin for Netflix." — David Nelson [14:00]
• On Peer Community:
  "Collaboration tends to be a big part of particularly the international ed community. It's a very small community. We tend to know each other a lot. But the great thing is we're all sharing..." — David Nelson [23:56]
• On The Parent Factor:
  "The parents come over and immediately go, 'Wait, hold on a second, what are you talking about? No, no, no, no, you're not doing that.' And they kind of drag them away." — David Nelson [20:44]
• On Tech’s Role in Changing Expectations:
  "These days if a student submits a form at 1 o’clock in the morning, they want that feedback right away..." — David Nelson [12:58]

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Segment / Topic | Timestamp | |-------------------------------------------------|-------------| | Introduction to David Nelson & Terra Dotta | 01:43–03:21 | | Nelson’s Study Abroad Experience | 03:21–04:18 | | Trends and Safety – Why the UK? | 04:18–05:24 | | Resume Building & Survey Findings | 05:24–06:33 | | Student Personal Growth Abroad | 06:33–07:57 | | Destination Clustering Post-Pandemic | 09:15–11:15 | | University Automation & Tech for Efficiency | 11:15–13:14 | | Cost & Virtual Internships | 13:42–15:14 | | Shift from Country to Program-Focused Choice | 16:09–16:45 | | AI, Data, and Improving Affordability | 17:15–19:39 | | Early Recruitment and Parental Concerns | 19:39–22:14 | | Social Media and Peer Influence | 22:14–23:38 | | Field-wide Peer Collaboration | 23:38–25:13 | | Tech Supporting Career Skills | 25:13–26:41 | | How Survey Insights Inform Terra Dotta Vision | 26:41–28:01 | | Access to the Report | 28:01–28:16 |

Podcast Takeaways

• Student demand for study abroad is at an all-time high, but choices are narrowing as safety, cost, and program fit drive decision-making.
• Automating processes and leveraging AI are critical to meeting rising expectations without additional resources.
• Collaboration in the international education community accelerates tech innovation and improves outcomes for all students.
• New program models, like virtual internships and academic discipline alignment, are reshaping the future of study abroad.
• Early outreach and clear, parent-friendly communication are increasingly important.
• Social media is a double-edged sword—boosting interest but narrowing choices—so institutions must diversify how they inspire students.

For report access: Visit the ebooks section at terra ditta.com.