In the wake of several studies analysing periods of overseas study as a constitutive dimension of the lifestyle of dominant classes, this article looks at the ways in which social hierarchies between elite engineering institutions can be seen through the practice of international study. The increase in periods of overseas study covers forms of expatriation that vary greatly in status, which consolidates the pre-eminence of the institutions with the most elitist social and academic recruitment. As social disparities can be seen even within prestigious schools, the international opportunities open to students are heavily dependent on the cultural and economic capital they inherit in their family environments.