Shifting National Landscapes and Global Student Mobility: How are the Top Host Countries Faring? International Forum on Migration Statistics January 2018, Paris

Rajika Bhandari, Ph.D.

Head of Research, Policy & Practice

IIE by the Numbers

2015 Impact

200+ PROGRAMS

185 COUNTRIES

1,400+ MEMBER

INSTITUTIONS

19 OFFICES AND

AFFILIATES

42,500 TOTAL

PARTICIPANTS

5,700+ INTERNATIONAL

STUDENTS PLACED AT U.S. UNIVERSITIES

600+ GENERATION

STUDY ABROAD PARTNERS

1,600+ HIGHER ED PARTNERS

PROMOTING INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGE

2

For nearly a century, IIE has been the global leader in international education

IIE sent out a questionnaire to higher education institutions collecting international student data

1948 1955 1972 2001

The publication was expanded and renamed Open Doors

The U.S. Department of State began providing support for IIE’s Open Doors

IIE launched Project Atlas in collaboration with international partners

IIE began publishing data in Education for One World

1921

Almost a 100 years of student mobility data…

Project Atlas®

Project Atlas®: A global community of student mobility agencies and researchers

5

Global competition The case of the U.S. Defining and measuring mobility

Mobile postsecondary students: A global look

Source: Project Atlas, 2017; UNESCO, 2017 data release

United Kingdom

United States

China France Australia

2016 2013

International student growth over the past 5 years

Germany

200K

400K

600K

800K

1Mil

1.2Mil

United Kingdom

United States

China France Australia Canada

2017

Global Competition: Why do countries want international students?

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• Educational and cultural exchange

• Building knowledge economies; science and innovation

• Revenue: Higher education as an “export” • U.S.: $39.4 billion

• U.K.: $22 billion

• Australia: £25 billion

• Internationalization of campuses

• World-class universities & rankings

Host countries and their targets

9

Strategies to attract students

10

• Canada: new immigration process; additional points for residency for those who obtained degrees in Canada and hold job offers (Nov. 2016)

• Germany: minimal fees, career incentives, English-taught graduate programs

• China: internships; opportunities for international students in high-tech and e-commerce to transition to workforce; scholarships

• Japan: subsidized company internships, job search assistance, Japanese language courses

A shifting landscape: how is the U.S. faring?

0

200,000

400,000

600,000

800,000

1,000,000

1980/81 1986/87 1992/93 1998/99 2004/05 2010/11 2016/17

16% Percent of Total:

12%

84%

0

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

300,000

350,000

1 2 3 4 5

New enrollment slows down by 3.3%

Continuing-Undergrad

Continuing-Graduate

Continuing-OPT

Continuing-Non-Degree

New-Graduate

New-Undergrad

New-Non-Degree

-1.3%

-2.9%

-8.8%

2016/17 2015/16 2014/15 2013/14 2012/13

Who is an international student? Measurement challenges

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• Comparing apples and oranges

• HEI enrollment data vs. immigration/visa data

• Linking student enrollment and skilled immigration data

• Variations in: program of study; duration; delivery

Who is an international student? Who should count?

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Online Resources

#OpenDoorsReport

iie.org/opendoors

@IIEResearch @IIEGlobal

iie.org/mobility