Internationalization of higher education

Abstract

Higher education has become increasingly international in the past decade as more and more students choose to study abroad, enroll in foreign educational programs and institutions in their home country, or simply use the Internet to take courses at colleges or universities in other countries. This matter is the result of several different, but not mutually exclusive, driving forces: a desire to promote mutual understanding; the migration of skilled workers in a globalized economy; the desire of the institutions to generate additional revenues; or the need to build a more educated workforce in the home countries, generally as emerging economies. Cross-border higher education has developed differently across OECD countries and regions. Mostly, student mobility has been policy-driven in Europe and demand-driven in the Asia-Pacific region, while North America has been mostly a magnet for foreign students. On the other hand, delivering foreign educational programs and institutions so that students can study at a foreign college without leaving home has been largely driven by educational institutions themselves. It has been made easier by institutional frame-works, which grant substantial autonomy to higher education institutions, and by the policies adopted by receiving countries.