When Lauren Murray travels to New Zealand on Saturday, she'll be doing so with the help of scholarships, her own money and cash from her family.

The Augusta State University senior said studying education in New Zealand and Australia this summer will be worth the financial strain.

"It is hard to find money to spend, and I am having to depend on other people," she said Tuesday while packing for her trip. "In spite of the cost, when I look back at this, it will make me feel good that I've traveled and seen the world."

Ms. Murray and other students' participation in ASU's study abroad program has helped the university see a 25 percent increase in international-study trips this year compared to last year, with 150 students going to other countries to study in the 2008-09 school year compared to 120 the previous year, said Holly Carter, the university's vice president of international studies.

Undergraduate and graduate students pay between $850 and $8,000, which covers the cost for the course, travel expenses and basic meals, to travel to countries across the globe for as little as two weeks or as long as a year, Ms. Carter said. Students frequently get help from loans and scholarships to study abroad.

"A lot of times, as with any problems in the economy, education is a way to get retrained and get skills," Ms. Carter said. "People are seeing the value of international studies as making them more marketable. It helps them stand out."

Programs across the country have also fared better this school year despite tougher economic times. The International Studies Association has seen a 10 percent increase in participation from students who attend its member universities in the 2008-09 school year compared to the previous year, with more than 4,500 students studying abroad this year, said spokesman Bill Clabby. Though the numbers are encouraging, just six months ago there was a more significant increase.

"It was showing more than double that growth six months ago, so I believe we have been affected by the global economic crisis," he said.

ASU's participation also declined in the past six months, Ms. Carter said. Around Christmastime about 170 students were signed up.

"Several of the students' parents were laid off after Christmas, so that did have an effect," she said. "I still believe we'll see growth even more next year."

The University of South Carolina Aiken has seen a slight decrease throughout the year in study-abroad trips, said Amela Malkic, the assistant director of intercultural and international programs.

"It's what we expected," Ms. Malkic said. "They're concerned about their tuition and other things."

USC Aiken senior Christy Randall said she had to sacrifice lavish meals while studying Spanish in Salamanca, Spain, last summer. Studying abroad is something every student should experience in spite of the cost, Ms. Randall said.

"The value of being involved in another country and being immersed in that culture is priceless," she said.