International Student Mobility: A Post-Pandemic Reset or a Broader Challenge?

International education has become a huge market, estimated to be worth hundreds of billions of dollars per year. Tertiary-level institutions in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada continue to draw large numbers of international students, but other destination countries have also entered the mix. And while Chinese and Indian nationals are among the largest groups of international students, enrollment is growing from countries as varied as Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, and Brazil.

Yet after years of recruitment and growth, during which attracting international students was seen as an unalloyed good—for university research budgets, local economies, and knowledge circulation—attitudes are shifting in some major destination countries. The post-COVID-19 pandemic rebound in international student arrivals has raised concerns about their impact on already strained housing markets and led some governments to take steps to limit admissions. But this focus may obscure broader questions about the sustainability of rising numbers, some universities’ reliance on international student tuition, and whether international education is in fact helping countries meet critical skills needs.

This Transatlantic Council on Migration report outlines important considerations for governments seeking to answer these questions. It provides an overview of recent developments in the international education sector and explores policy levers that can be used to shape demand for international study, the form learning opportunities take, and how they can be smartly aligned with future labor market needs.