Student mobility updates

The latest figures from the Open Doors Report indicate that the number of international students enrolled in U.S. institutions has declined again. Chinese students still comprise the largest number with a slight increase but other countries such as India, Saudi Arabia, and South Korea fell.

The implications of shifting international student enrollment has sparked a first - the University of Illinois has taken out an insurance policy against the risk of a decline in its Chinese student numbers. That says a lot about how much international students, and those specifically from China, impact the budgets of U.S. universities.

As international student numbers in the U.S. fall, the number of U.S. students going abroad is increasing. Studying abroad is now recognized by some students as a necessity rather than a educational luxury - this reinforces the need for institutions to make studying abroad achievable for all students, not just the privileged.