As the uncertainty and disruption of geo-political shift have become hallmarks of our age, the ancient urge to pursue one’s higher education in distant lands is shaped by a raft of new pressures that often have little to do with education. Growing numbers of mobile students are taking advantage of new choices, but also encounter changing immigration and recruitment policies in host countries -as well as trends and restrictions at home– that are part of the larger context of national trade strategies and the exercise of soft power.
This research from our colleagues at the Institute of International Education (IIE), a long-time partner with WISE and Qatar Foundation, is a full portrait of the current state of global higher education for mobile students.