global
Over the past eight months, major host countries such as Australia, Canada, the Netherlands and the UK have seen considerable disruption to their international student mobility plans, including even cuts to recruitment numbers.
Caps on the number of international students, rising visa costs and a reduction in the number of courses taught in English are some of the measures being taken to reduce international student numbers in countries that until recently actively recruited international students, mainly for income generation and skilled migration purposes.
Arguments in support of these restrictive measures range from practical issues such as a lack of student accommodation to national security and immigration concerns, but there are also many arguments against these plans, including the need for human capital, the negative economic impact on universities and regions, the value of an international classroom environment, and the importance of soft power and knowledge diplomacy.
There are no easy answers
Opponents of increasing the number of international students include critics who see such policies as neoliberal and focused on the marketization of higher education, those who worry about over-reliance on income from the two largest international students, particularly from China and India, and nationalists who see international students as unwelcome immigrants.
Those in favor of increasing the number of international students include large corporations who see them as valuable human capital, local governors who fear that their local higher education institutions and industries will close due to population decline, universities that see international students as an important source of revenue or a resource that enriches the classroom environment, and those involved in degree programs, including faculty, who are at risk of being canceled.
As always, there are no easy answers or directions. While international students are certainly a welcome addition to society, the economy and academia and can bring positive contributions to knowledge diplomacy, the risks and negative impacts are also clear: increased economic dependency, lack of quality education and services, brain drain, an over-representation of students from one or two countries in classrooms that actually make them less international.
Solutions must be found in inclusive strategies that involve all stakeholders and allow for diverse and flexible solutions tailored to different programmes, institutional and local contexts.
Situation in the Global North
The Netherlands is a good example of the complexities involved in formulating such a plan: in early 2024, former Minister of Education Robert Dijkgraaf proposed new legislation after intense debate in order to address many issues and satisfy the various stakeholders.
And while the law was aimed at finding a middle ground, even if most people weren’t too happy about it, the new nationalist government formed this summer, with a majority of lawmakers from anti-immigration parties opposed to English-medium classes and the recruitment of international students, is likely to move in a more negative direction.
In that respect, recent elections in France and the UK offer hope for a more positive outlook. The French government’s plans to increase tuition fees for international students were halted before the last election in June and are likely to be halted again. The new Labour government in the UK may seek to reduce the perception that international students and their families are unwelcome immigrants.
In Australia and Canada, a compromise is likely to be reached on lower caps on international student numbers than originally planned, while other major countries such as Germany, Spain and Italy appear to have more stable policies and remain attractive options.
The United States, which remains the leading recipient of international students in absolute terms, is an interesting case: in the short term, it may benefit from the effects of negative policies implemented in other English-speaking countries.
Even if Donald Trump, notorious for his anti-immigrant and nationalist stance, is elected president, there are indications that the country will likely only accept students from so-called “friendly countries,” and that students in STEM fields will be allowed to stay after graduation.
A more competitive and globalized market
So, after a period of turmoil and negativity, is international student recruitment by major receiving countries in the Global North becoming more stable? Evidently, but there are still many unknowns and some damage has been done.
These developments come amid an increasingly competitive global marketplace where the market share of leading countries continues to decline.
Major international student sending countries in Asia, such as China, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, and more recently India, are gradually moving towards hosting international students.
Their competitive advantages are clear – lower costs, scholarships, improved reputation and performance in international rankings – but they also represent an alternative to unwelcoming and xenophobic tendencies in the Global North.
The changing geopolitical environment is making these countries more attractive to students from their home countries and from Africa. Middle Eastern countries like Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, as well as Central Asian countries like Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan, are also moving in a similar direction.
There are also signs of increased regional adoption in some countries and institutions in Africa and Latin America. Transnational education (branch campuses, franchises, and various forms of collaborative programs) is part of this new world order.
There are no sudden changes
However, this does not mean that we will see any major changes in international student mobility from the Global North to other parts of the world in the near future.
These new markets also face serious challenges in terms of quality of education (most international students attend low-quality private institutions), xenophobia (see recent attacks on international students in Kyrgyzstan), lack of academic freedom and critical thinking (not just in China but elsewhere), and war and political instability (Ukraine, Bangladesh, South Sudan).
The global international recruitment order may be changing, but for international students, this raises significant questions about stability, quality, equity and inclusiveness.
Hans de Wit is Professor Emeritus and Fellow at the Center for International Higher Education, Boston University, USA, and a Senior Research Fellow at the International Association of Universities. Email: dewitj@bc.edu.
This article is a commentary. Commentary articles represent the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of University World News.