EDUCATION INDICATORS FOCUS

International students are those who have crossed borders for the purpose of study. The UNESCO Institute for Statistics, the OECD and EUrOSTaT define international students as those who are not residents of their country of study or those who received their prior education in another country. When data on international students are not available, data on foreign students are used. Foreign students are defined according to their citizenship. International students are thus a subset of foreign students. How is international student mobility shaping up? The internationalisation of tertiary education has gone hand in hand with its expansion. Mapping the international student intake. The number of students enrolled in tertiary education outside their country of citizenship has sharply increased over the last decades, reflecting the expansion of tertiary education systems worldwide and the globalisation of economies and societies. as most students who study abroad choose to do so in OECD countries, the expansion of tertiary education outside the OECD area has fuelled its intake of foreign students. The number of students enrolled in tertiary education outside their country of citizenship increased more than threefold, from 1.3 million in 1990 to nearly 4.3 million in 2011, representing an average annual growth rate of almost 6%. This is a greater increase than the overall rise in tertiary enrolments globally. Contrary to what some observers expected, there has been no decline in the growth rate of international students during the global economic crisis (see chart on page 2). among the benefits of studying abroad perceived by an increasing number of students are the cultural enrichment and improved language skills, high-status qualifications, and a competitive edge to access better jobs. Studying abroad helps students to expand their knowledge of other societies, languages, cultures and business methods, and to leverage their labour market prospects (OECD, 2004). Moreover, declines in the costs of international travel and communications also make it easier for students to study abroad