International virtual exchange is gaining popularity as an innovative approach to providing international experiences to students, particularly considering the COVID-19 pandemic. However, little research has been conducted on this unique teaching approach or how it fits into university comprehensive internationalization plans. In this paper, we develop a simple theoretical model to explain the impact of taking international virtual exchange classes on students’ decisions to subsequently study abroad. We use a linear probability model with a longitudinal panel that follows 39,381 students through their entire academic career at a large American university to estimate the impact of international virtual exchange and foreign language courses on the probability of subsequent study abroad. Based on our preferred matching model, which accounts for observable differences in student characteristics, we find the likelihood a student will subsequently study abroad approximately doubles if they take an international virtual exchange course.
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