Global openness to international student mobility: A comparative analysis of openness to international student mobility across 12 key countries

Lebeau, Yann and Papatsiba, Vassilliki ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3005-1162 2026. Global openness to international student mobility: A comparative analysis of openness to international student mobility across 12 key countries. British Council. Available at: https://opportunities-insight.britishcouncil.org/s...

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Abstract

International student numbers have grown to an estimated 6.9 million globally, but traditional pathways are being reshaped by new geopolitical and economic realities. While countries such as the UK, US, Australia and Canada continue to attract large numbers, their market share is declining. Meanwhile, intra-regional mobility in East Asia, Europe, Central Asia and the Middle East is expanding and the growth of transnational education (TNE) is further reconfiguring those mobility patterns. This report offers a comparative analysis of openness to international student mobility (ISM) across 12 major higher education systems: Australia Canada China France Germany Japan Russia South Korea Türkiye UAE United Kingdom United States The central question guiding the analysis is: How open are different national systems to international student mobility, and how is that openness shaped or constrained by domestic politics, migration governance and economic strategy? Drawing on national policy documents, official strategies, visa regulations, public discourse and system-level indicators, the report provides a structural and comparative framework for understanding the diverse ways countries facilitate, manage or restrict international student mobility. Overall, findings from the report show that openness is becoming more selective, more instrumentalised, and more aligned with national agendas, whether economic, demographic, geopolitical or migration related. The report also shows that the socio demographic base of international student mobility is narrowing. Higher costs and conditionality tilt opportunities toward higher income students and STEM fields, with gendered effects in post study outcomes. This report was commissioned by the British Council Tertiary Education Insights from UEA Consulting, Norwich. The UEA Consulting research team comprised Professor Yann Lebeau (University of East Anglia) and Dr Vassiliki Papatsiba (Cardiff University).

Item Type:	Report (Other)
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Schools > Social Sciences (Includes Criminology and Education) Schools > School of Social and Spatial Sciences
Publisher:	British Council
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	11 November 2026
Last Modified:	11 Nov 2026 14:31
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/190867

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