Academic Mobility Network

An academic mobility network is an informal association of universities and government programs that encourages the international exchange of higher education students (academic mobility).

Students choosing to study abroad (International students) aim to improve their own social and economic status by choosing to study in a nation with better systems of educations than their own. This creates movement of students, usually South to North and East to West. It is predicted that citizens of Asian nations, particularly India and China, will represent an increasing portion of the global international student population.

The total number of students enrolled in tertiary education abroad (international students) increased from 1.3 million in 1990, to 2 million in 2000, to more than 3 million in 2010 and to 4.3 million in 2011. The global financial crisis did not decrease these figures.

The formation of academic mobility networks can be explained by changes in systems of education. The governments of some countries allocated funds to improve tertiary education for international students. For some countries, the presence of international students represents an indicator of quality of their education system. International students contribute to the economy of their chosen country of study.

In 2011, OECD countries were hosting seventy percent of international students. Within the OECD, almost half of international students were enrolled in one of the top five destinations for tertiary studies. These were United States (17 percent), United Kingdom (13 percent), Australia (6 percent), Germany (6 percent) and France (6 percent). International students prefer to study in English-speaking countries. Popular fields of study are the social sciences, business and law. Thirty percent of international students studied in these fields in 2011.

Academic mobility networks aim to assist students by providing cultural and social diversity, encouraging adaptability and independent thinking, allowing them to improve their knowledge of a foreign language and expand their professional network. By bringing international students, the network can provide educational institutions with a source of revenue and contribute to the nation's economy.

...
Wikipedia