Universities and polytechnics say more students are going abroad for weeks or months for a range of activities, from work stints and exchange programmes to study and training trips. Some, like SMU and Ngee Ann Polytechnic, have close to nine in 10 students going abroad. More than 60 per cent of NTU's graduating cohort had overseas exposure last year, an increase from 48 per cent five years ago. Similarly, more than seven in 10 NUS students travel abroad now, compared to half five years ago.