Shifting Trends in International Student Mobility: Embracing Diversity and Responding to Change

Current trends suggest that student mobility has become multidirectional. Students from the East (and those from generally lower-income countries in what is often referred to as the “Global South”) are no longer only traveling to the West (and higher-income countries in the “Global North”). Instead, these students now also often travel to other countries in the East. Perhaps it is time to reflect on the shifting trends in student mobility and the key factors influencing these shifts, such as degree saturation and geopolitics, as well as the COVID-19 pandemic, its impact on universities, and how universities
and international educators can respond in order to retain top positions in the international student market. While these trends are global, this article will focus on the shift of student mobility within East and West contexts, with specific examples from China, the United Kingdom, and the United States.