Study Abroad Association
Study Abroad Association designs and operates faculty-led, open-enrollment, and virtual study-abroad programs for 200+ U.S. colleges and universities, placing students across 30+ countries since 2009.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersRaleigh, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Study Abroad Association does
Study Abroad Association (SAA) is a private LLC that organizes and operates faculty-led and virtual study-abroad programs on behalf of U.S. colleges and universities. Founded in 2009 and headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina with a Florida legal domicile, the company has placed more than 13,000 students across 30+ countries through 200+ institutional partnerships. The product set spans Faculty-Led Programs (customized, quote-based itineraries), Open Enrollment Programs (priced per student at roughly $2,680-$3,915), Service Learning Programs with community-engagement components, and 360 GLE™, a virtual global learning platform launched in 2021 that extends the offering beyond physical travel. Operations are supported by 11-50 employees with $5M liability coverage and 24/7 emergency response infrastructure built into each program.
SAA's commercial model is project-based rather than subscription-based: revenue is generated per program, with faculty-led work priced on a customized quote that bundles lodging, excursions, on-site coordination, insurance, and emergency support, while open-enrollment programs are sold directly to individual students at fixed price points. The 360 GLE™ virtual line introduces a parallel delivery modality, allowing partner institutions to maintain continuity of global-learning credit offerings for students unable to travel and creating a lower-cost entry point into the addressable market. Group Flights and ancillary logistics are layered on top of the core program to capture incremental wallet share per cohort.
Leadership is held by co-founder and CEO Leonardo Gubinelli and COO Alessio Mazzolini. The company is privately held, has not disclosed external funding rounds, and operates on an organic-growth basis. Recognition includes a 2021 finalist position for GoAbroad's Innovative Technology Award tied to 360 GLE™ and a feature in The New York Times. The competitive position rests on a relationship-driven distribution footprint with university study-abroad offices, operational scale across 30+ destinations, and curriculum-integrated program design that creates switching costs for partner institutions.
Study Abroad Association firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Study Abroad Association
- Legal name
- Study Abroad Association, LLC
- Website
- https://studyabroadassociation.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Study Abroad Association designs and operates faculty-led, open-enrollment, and virtual study-abroad programs for 200+ U.S. colleges and universities, placing students across 30+ countries since 2009.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Study Abroad Association industry classification
Industry- Product category
- International Education Services
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (611)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Faculty-Led & Custom Group Study Abroad Programs (EDAIAAAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Study Abroad Program Management & Administration (for Institutions) (EDAIAAAJ), Thematic & Discipline-Specific Study Abroad Programs (e.g., STEM, Business, Arts) (EDAIAAAC), Hybrid, Multi-Location & Multi-Country Study Abroad Programs (EDAIAAAE)
Keywords
Where Study Abroad Association is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Raleigh
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Study Abroad Association business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Faculty-Led Program Fees: Customized study abroad programs for university groups, priced per program based on destination, duration, and group size. Programs include accommodation, ground transportation, meals, insurance, on-site directors, and entrance fees.
- Open Enrollment Program Fees: Pre-packaged programs open to individual students aged 18+, with tiered pricing for double occupancy vs. single room upgrades. Examples: Costa Rica New Year program at $2,680 double occupancy / $3,130 single upgrade.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Costa Rica New Year: Beauty & Biodiversity - Double Occupancy |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Costa Rica New Year: Beauty & Biodiversity - Single Room Upgrade |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Dominican Republic New Year: Global Health - Double Occupancy |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Dominican Republic New Year: Global Health - Single Room Upgrade |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
Study Abroad Association product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Study Abroad Association (SAA) designs and delivers customized faculty-led study abroad programs for U.S. colleges and universities, handling all logistics including accommodation, ground transportation, meals, insurance, entrance fees, and on-site program directors across 30+ countries. The company also sells pre-packaged open enrollment programs directly to individual adult learners (18+) and offers service learning programs that combine academic credit with community service, plus a virtual programming platform called 360 GLE™.
Product overview
Study Abroad Association (SAA) offers a comprehensive portfolio of international education programs consisting of three core offerings: Faculty-Led Programs (customized programs designed with partner institutions' faculty), Open Enrollment Programs (pre-packaged group programs available to students from any institution), and Service Learning Programs (combining academic curriculum with community service). Additionally, SAA provides 360 GLE™ (Global Learning Experiences), a virtual programming platform that delivers international education experiences online. All programs operate across 30+ global destinations spanning the Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Pacific.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Faculty-Led Programs
Quantifiable outcome
- 200+ institutions partner with SAA annually for faculty-led programs
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Study Abroad Association
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Study Abroad Association technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Study Abroad Association partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- New York TimesminorFeatured in the New York Times for SAA's virtual programming innovation (360 GLE™ Global Learning Experiences)
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Study Abroad Association competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- IES Abroad: IES Abroad operates semester and custom faculty-led study abroad programs across dozens of cities worldwide, partnering with U.S. colleges and universities. Comparable to SAA in serving higher education institutions with structured international programs, but at a much larger scale and with longer-established brand recognition.
- WorldStrides: WorldStrides is a large educational travel provider offering faculty-led and custom group travel programs for K-12 and higher education institutions. Comparable to SAA on the customized group travel and faculty-led design, though broader in mission and significantly larger in scale.
- AIFS (American Institute For Foreign Study): AIFS offers faculty-led, semester, and summer study abroad programs alongside cultural tours for students and institutions. Overlaps directly with SAA on faculty-led custom programming and includes an open enrollment/D2C channel for individual students, similar to SAA's two-tier GTM.
- CIEE (Council on International Educational Exchange): CIEE is one of the largest and oldest U.S.-based study abroad providers, offering faculty-led, semester, and custom programs to universities and individual students globally. Directly comparable to SAA's faculty-led and open enrollment offerings, but with significantly broader scale, deeper institutional relationships, and a wider range of program types.
- EF Education First (EF Study Abroad): EF Education First is a global education company with a study abroad division offering language-immersion and academic programs across dozens of countries. Comparable to SAA on international educational travel and D2C student enrollment, but with vastly greater scale, brand recognition, and global infrastructure.
Direct peers
- CEA Study Abroad: CEA Study Abroad delivers custom faculty-led and semester programs for U.S. higher education institutions across multiple global destinations. Closely matches SAA's business model of partnering with university study abroad offices to deliver customizable group programs.
- ISA (International Studies Abroad): ISA provides study abroad programs for universities and individual students, including custom faculty-led options, across dozens of countries. Directly comparable to SAA on faculty-led customization, breadth of global destinations, and D2C open enrollment offerings.
- API (Academic Programs International): API provides faculty-led, semester, and short-term study abroad programs for U.S. colleges and universities, with a strong emphasis on customizable group itineraries. Highly comparable to SAA in targeting the faculty-led custom segment, with similar go-to-market toward study abroad offices.
- USAC (University Studies Abroad Consortium): USAC is a consortium-based study abroad provider offering semester, year, and short-term programs affiliated with the University of Nevada, Reno. Comparable to SAA in serving U.S. higher education institutions with international programs, though with a different consortium structure.
Regional players
- DIS - Study Abroad in Scandinavia: DIS specializes in study abroad programs in Scandinavia and Northern Europe for U.S. university students. Comparable to SAA on the faculty-led and discipline-specific program dimensions, but regionally focused on Scandinavia rather than the broader 30+ country footprint.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Study Abroad Association social profiles
Digital presenceStudy Abroad Association financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Study Abroad Association leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Study Abroad Association funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Study Abroad Association M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Study Abroad Association
What does Study Abroad Association do?
Study Abroad Association (SAA) designs and delivers customized faculty-led study abroad programs for U.S. colleges and universities, handling all logistics including accommodation, ground transportation, meals, insurance, entrance fees, and on-site program directors across 30+ countries. The company also sells pre-packaged open enrollment programs directly to individual adult learners (18+) and offers service learning programs that combine academic credit with community service, plus a virtual programming platform called 360 GLE™.
Is Study Abroad Association a public or private company?
Study Abroad Association is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Study Abroad Association founded?
Study Abroad Association was founded in 2009. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Study Abroad Association based?
Study Abroad Association is headquartered in Raleigh, United States, in the North America region.
How does Study Abroad Association make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Faculty-Led Program Fees are the primary driver. The others are open Enrollment Program Fees.
Who are Study Abroad Association's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are IES Abroad, WorldStrides, AIFS (American Institute For Foreign Study), CIEE (Council on International Educational Exchange) and EF Education First (EF Study Abroad). Direct peers are CEA Study Abroad, ISA (International Studies Abroad), API (Academic Programs International) and USAC (University Studies Abroad Consortium). DIS - Study Abroad in Scandinavia is listed as a regional player.
Does Study Abroad Association have an API?
No public API is recorded for Study Abroad Association.
What industry is Study Abroad Association in?
Study Abroad Association's product category is International Education Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAIAAAA, Faculty-Led & Custom Group Study Abroad Programs, with a secondary code of EDAIAAAJ, Study Abroad Program Management & Administration (for Institutions). Its NAICS code is 611710 and its SIC code is 8200.