To date, student motivation for electing to study abroad has not been incorporated into study abroad research as a potential factor influencing intercultural development. The authors of this study hypothesize that a student's motivation for studying abroad plays an important role in influencing the program a student selects and in determining what that student gets out of the experience. It is unknown, however, what motivates students to study abroad or to choose a more challenging study abroad experience. Do student motivations influence the type of study abroad program (e.g., faculty-led, immersion vs. "island" programs) or the location of the program (e.g., English-speaking, Western Europe vs. Asia)? Knowing what students seek to gain from their study abroad experience and its influence on program selection should provide guidance on how to design study abroad programs to best facilitate a student's intercultural development. That is, programs in more challenging locations could be presented in a fashion that makes it easier for students to see how it meets their goals (motivations) for studying abroad. If students find a good match between their study abroad goals and the program they choose, the authors anticipate the opportunity for intercultural development is enhanced. It seems likely that if a student is comfortable with a program's features and location he or she will be more likely to seek deeper immersion into the culture. For this reason, student motivations were included in this study; the authors hoped to find relationships that could guide program providers and faculty in developing study abroad programs that can maximize the opportunity for student intercultural development. The study was conducted over two academic years (2012-13 and 2013-14) and employed a pre-post assessment of students participating in American Institute for Foreign Study (AIFS) programs. The goal of the study was to assess the relationship between why students chose to study abroad, their choice of a program, and their intercultural competence.