Little focus has been afforded to LGBT+ students’ study abroad experiences. We conducted a systematic literature search and synthesis which identified 13 articles either with a focus on or inclusion of participants who were LGBT+ studying abroad. We coded included articles’ key information, including participant demographics; program duration, location, and academic focus; study methodology; and study results. The majority of studies used qualitative methods, and we note that gay and bisexual male students are severely underrepresented. Key findings also include issues of homophobia/transphobia, race and ethnicity disparities, community policing, sexual assualt and rape, and methodology. We suggest that researchers on LGBT+ abroad focus on gay and bisexual male participation and focus on how queer community is formed abroad and regulated by its members. Furthermore, we recommend future research include demographic questions inclusive of LGBT+, employ more mixed methods or quantitative approaches, and measures emphasizing intercultural and academic gains for LGBT+ students.

Prior literature reviews of study abroad outcomes (Miller & Perrin-Thompson, 2014; Twombly et al., 2012; Varela, 2017) have provided important direction for the field, yet they either were conducted without clear inclusion criteria or excluded qualitative research. In the current scoping review, we extend their work through conducting a systematic literature search inclusive of qualitative research and map the knowledge base of study abroad for students enrolled at universities in the United States who received academic credit for study abroad from fall 2001 (post-9/11) to spring 2020 (COVID-19 pandemic onset). We identified 373 articles meeting inclusion criteria and created a database of filterable information (e.g., participant characteristics, program duration) for the included articles. In the current study, we organize and visually display findings, identify gaps in the knowledge base, and recommend future directions for research and research reporting.

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