Migration of Students for Study Purposes

Abstract

The number of internationally mobile students is increasing yearly, with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development predicting 8 million students by 2025 (OECD, 2017). This has implications in many areas: it helps to shape a usual international set of values, contributes to scientific and rational thinking, and provides opportunities to learn about values across cultures. In this paper, the process of migration for study at the global level and in Hungary are examined. The available knowledge on student migration is explored by analysing secondary sources and the most recent statistical data obtainable. Furthermore, current trends are described, both at the international level and in the Hungarian context, including internationalisation, which is a priority in the strategies of higher education institutions worldwide. In higher education, internationalisation processes still focus on student mobility for study purposes. Also, the motivations of international students and the disciplines that are most in demand are investigated. The increasing volume of student mobility raises the question of what students perceive as the advantages, benefits and potential drawbacks of international mobility, which is in focus of this study as well. Based on the literature discussed and summarised in this paper, as well as previous research, the internationalisation of the global higher education area opens up a wide range of opportunities for ambitious young people with a desire to learn, thus providing them with valuable international knowledge.