Five Little-Known Facts about International Student Mobility to the United Kingdom (original) (raw)
This article identifies analytical facts about international student mobility to the United Kingdom that have received little or no attention to date. It considers the implications of the relatively shorter duration of higher education degrees in the United Kingdom, the impact of poststudy work opportunities on global international student demand, sustainability of UK research degrees, and the growth in transnational education.
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International higher education and the mobility of UK students
Journal of Research in International Education, 2009
In the context of increasing academic interest in the internationalization of education and the international mobility of university students, this article draws on findings of a recent research project examining students from the UK as they seek higher education overseas before entering the labour market. The discussion is framed around four key themes (the importance of `second chances'; `global circuits of higher education'; `experiences of travel' and `labour market outcomes'), which address the motivations and experiences of 85 individuals who are seriously considering or have recently obtained an international degree.
An audit of international student mobility to the UK
The number of students from other European Union countries coming to the UK has been in decline over recent years, although this trend has so far been offset by the number of students from some non-European countries, especially China. The largest reductions from the European Union have been from countries such as Germany, Ireland and Greece. In this paper we carry out secondary data analysis of HESA data and draw on primary research previously carried out within our research team to discuss the significance of these trends. We offer potential explanations for region and country-specific trends in student mobility in relation to recent changes to higher education fees and immigration policies. The possible consequences of the 2016 Brexit referendum for international student mobility to the UK is discussed.
Findlay, A. M., King, R. and Ruiz-Gelices, E. (2003) 'International Student Mobility Study, Study 1. New directions in UK international student mobility: a preliminary typology and review of secondary data sources'. Brighton: Sussex Centre for Migration Research, University of Sussex., 2003
This report is the first of three studies which will form the main published output of the International Student Mobility Study, a programme of research commissioned by the Higher Education Funding Council of England (HEFCE), the Department of Education and Skills (DfES) and a range of sponsoring bodies connected with higher education and student mobility in the United Kingdom. The research runs from 1 May 2003 to 30 April 2004 and Study 1 concludes its first phase, to the end of July 2003. Over the course of the entire research period, the research team will be collecting a range of primary and secondary data on the scale, types and trends of student mobility within the UK Higher Education system. The need for such a study has been recognised as a result of concerns about the low level of UK student mobility in comparison to mobility in other EU countries. During the first three months of the research, the contractors have engaged in the following activities: compilation of a detailed Annotated Bibliography on international student mobility (Ruiz-Gelices et al. 2003); review, evaluation and preliminary analysis of secondary datasets on UK student mobility, with some European and global comparisons (the main object of the present report); design and piloting of a questionnaire to be used later in the year as one of the research instruments to collect primary data from samples of HE students in the UK; and establishment of preliminary professional contacts in selected higher educational institutions identified for the survey work later in the year. The aforementioned Annotated Bibliography was organised around six key research questions which the researchers felt defined the field of investigation into UK student mobility. These are: 1. How has student migration been theorised and how does this theorisation differ from research on other aspects of skilled migration? 2. What trends can be identified in UK international student mobility and how do these trends differ from those in other countries? 3. To what extent can student mobility be related to pre- and post-student mobility? 4. How important is foreign language knowledge in understanding UK student mobility? 5. How have institutional parameters framed student mobility? 6. What are the policy implications for UK universities and the UK economy of current student mobility trends? Study 1 deals with the first two of this list of research questions, especially the second. We say relatively little about the first question, and mainly in the context of mapping out a preliminary typology of student mobility. Our preliminary attempt to disaggregate the types of student movement from a UK perspective will be fleshed out in the later review and survey work, notably in Study 2. Our main objective in this report is to summarise the main findings that arise from analysing secondary datasets on UK international student mobility. The focus is on trends in outflows of students from the UK, but this is set in the wider context of student flows into the UK and outward student flows from other countries over the last decade. Some statistical material is included in the many tables in this report, culled from the diverse range of sources consulted by the researchers, but only the most significant tables are included and no attempt has been made to provide an exhaustive portfolio of all the statistical material which exists. Readers are directed to the reference section of this report for sources which contain further numerical data. As a preliminary report, Study 1 has been written for the specific audience of the Steering Group of the wider research project with the aim of indicating key issues raised from existing statistical data. It should be noted, however, that at the time of data compilation and writing in July several important datasets were not yet available to the researchers. These will be included in future revised analyses. Equally it is important to stress that double-checking for any errors in the statistical analyses is ongoing and that any results such as the regression models in the latter part of the report should therefore be treated as provisional at this stage. At this point we need to spell out an important caveat: we want to re-emphasise that Study 1 is issued at an early stage of the research process. It reviews datasets and sets out ideas and typologies in a preliminary fashion against tight time constraints, and findings presented here are highly provisional. They are likely to be refined, even amended, when we collect our own purpose-designed survey data later in the year. Readers of this report are asked to bear this provisionality in mind and to be circumspect in quoting any material from the present study. The researchers were very fortunate to be assisted in their work by John Reilly and his staff at the UK Socrates-Erasmus office at the University of Kent, Canterbury. Judy Powell and staff at the British Council, London, were very helpful in providing a wealth of information about the IAESTE and Language Assistant schemes. The researchers would be pleased to add data on any other managed mobility schemes that the Steering Group feel are significant. Our work has been hugely facilitated by Jeanette Cheong, Beth Steiner and Rachel Titman at HEFCE, to whom we wish to express our sincere thanks. Finally, this report could not have been prepared on time without the assistance of Alexandra Stam of the Centre for Applied Population Research, University of Dundee to whom we owe a huge debt of gratitude. She was responsible for abstracting large numbers of articles and statistical material from a diverse range of web sites and she also prepared several of the graphs included in this report.
2015
Improving our understanding of the key drivers and implications of population change There are currently 435,000 international students 1 studying in UK Universities. This paper investigates the forces driving student mobility and the relationship between student migration and future mobility plans. The research, based on a survey of over 3000 international students and interviews with senior staff in International Offices at ten UK Universities confirms the importance of understanding international student mobility as part of wider mobility trajectories. International study for an international career: A survey of the motivations and aspirations of international students in the UK CPC centre for population change ESRC Centre for Population Change l Briefing 27 l September 2015 Key Points • Only a minority of international students see themselves remaining in the UK after graduation. • Female students were slightly more likely to plan to remain in the UK and less likely to want to return to their country of origin. • The desire to study at a world-class institution is the dominant driver of international student mobility. • A majority of international students anticipated that studying in the UK would be the first step in launching them on an international career.
Five little-known facts about international student mobility to the UK. Analytical summary for UUKI
2018
Five little-Known FaCts aBoUt international stUdent moBility to the UK Universities UK international UUKi is the international arm of Universities UK. We help UK universities flourish internationally by representing them and acting in their collective interest. We actively promote universities abroad, provide trusted information for and about them, and create new opportunities for the sector. We aim to: enable universities to develop and deliver strong international strategies; influence the policy and regulatory environment through our ability to represent UK universities; and create diverse opportunities through strategic partnerships.
An Assessment of Supply and Demand-side Theorizations of International Student Mobility
International Migration, 2010
As a group of mobile people, international students have been understudied. This is despite their numerical importance. This paper examines the changing characteristics of international student mobility, differentiating between social demand theories that seek explanation in terms of the power of social and cultural capital in driving middle class families to seek to get their children into the best western universities, and supply-side theories that argue that the global flow of students is powered to a large extent by the financial interests of those who can supply elite higher education opportunities to a world market. Student mobility towards the United Kingdom is used as case study material to investigate these issues.
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International student mobility.
King, R., Findlay, A., Ruiz-Gelices, E. and Stam, A. (2004) 'International Student Mobility'. HEFCE Issues Paper 2004/30. Bristol: Higher Education Funding Council for England., 2004