Michael Schachner studied International Economic and Business Studies in Innsbruck, Austria. In 2003/04 he participated in an exchange program himself, attending the University of Granada, Spain. He lives and works in Finland since 2007.

What determines whether a student participates in an exchangeprogram or not? While studies, until now, focused on the impacts ofstudying abroad, this one investigates the premises. In otherwords, the research objective is not the consequence of havingstudied abroad, but what makes students study abroad in the firstplace. The basic assumption is that exchange program participationis determined in a similar way as higher education attendance. Theastonishing result is that financial determinants - grants,financial support by the family, expected income - are not decisivefor a student\\'s choice, even though exchange programparticipants are financially more supported by their families thannon-participants. Instead, social background, such as parents\\'education, as well as academic success and the knowledge oflanguages give the necessary impulse. The results and method ofthis research project are especially interesting for economists andpolicy makers in the field of higher education.