Multilayered Mobility of International Students in Asian Higher                        Education

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doi:10.11479/asianstudies.54.4_10

The purpose of this paper is to clarify a trend in international student mobility in Asian higher education. This mobility is characterized by a multilayered structure which is affected by the higher education strategies of Asian countries.<br>International student mobility in Asian countries has been more active since the mid-1990s, and has three characteristics. First, the number of Asian students studying abroad—especially in English-speaking countries (USA, UK, Canada and Australia)—has been increasing. However, secondly, a new mobility of student exchange has also appeared within the Asian region, e.g. the student flow between China and Korea, China and Japan, Korea and Japan, and also among China, Korea and ASEAN countries (in particular Singapore and Malaysia). Thirdly, as a result, those Asian countries have come to be key countries in the international student network.<br>Asian international student mobility has been increased by the economic and political strategies of those Asian countries. Each country has attached an importance to its higher-education policy and the internationalization thereof as a means of manpower development and there is severe competition to attract more highly qualified international students. This mobility can also be an effective way to become a regional political position as a center for cultural and educational exchange in the international education market. Nowadays, more actors, i.e. Thailand and Taiwan, have started to be involved in this respect. On the other hand, ordinary people’s demand for higher education has been growing and they are seeking a more effective transnational program in order to get degrees and certificates more easily and economically not only in English-speaking countries but in Asian countries<br>This trend seems to have begun to influence international student mobility from other parts of world to Asia. For example, recent increases in the number of international students from African countries to China and from Middle Eastern countries to Malaysia have become striking. From this point of view, international student mobility in Asian higher education has changed from the old model to a new multilayered model, namely the unilateral mobility from Asia to English-speaking countries has been replacing by a multilayered mobility which includes various flows within Asian countries and flows from outside the region to Asia, which can bring some new subjects and the possibility of a truly international education exchange.

Multilayered Mobility of International Students in Asian Higher Education

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