新冠疫情（2018 - 2022年）期间国际学生流动的关键趋势

•International student mobility has grown substantially in tertiary education, withthe number of such students enrolled in OECD countries rising from 3.0 millionin 2014 to more than 4.6 million by 2022. Despite the challenges posed by theCOVID-19 pandemic, international student numbers still rose by 18% between 2018and 2022, following a more rapid increase of 30% from 2014 to 2018. •The top host and sending countries remained largely unchanged between 2018and 2022, with few new emerging players. Australia, Canada, France, Germany,the United Kingdom and the United States continued to host nearly two-thirds ofall international students in the OECD. At the same time, the People’s Republic ofChina and India remained the biggest sources of internationally mobile students,together accounting for around 30% of the total in both years. •Economic disparities shape international student mobility: two-thirds ofinternational students in OECD countries come from high- or upper middle-income nations, while numbers of students from low-income countries remaincomparatively modest. •A common trend is that the fields science, technology, engineering andmathematics (STEM) as well as doctoral programmes tend to be more popularamong internationally mobile students than among domestic students. •The countries that attract the most students are fairly diverse geographically.Affordability, along with factors such as reputation, language, cultural ties, researchexcellence, and employment prospects, plays a key role in attracting internationalstudents. Efforts to encourage academic mobility are not always matched bypolicies to retain international graduates after they finish their studies, ascountries balance economic needs with ongoing migration debates. The COVID-19 pandemic did not stop the rise in international student mobility Student mobility in tertiary education has continued to expand significantly in recent decades. Thenumber of international students – those who are enrolled in tertiary education institutions outside theircountry of origin or who received their previous education in another country – increased by over 50% inrecent years, from 3.0 million in the 38 OECD countries in 2014 to over 4.6 million in 2022. This increasecan be attributed to factors such as the pursuit of high-quality or prestigious educational programmes,access to world-renowned institutions and better professional prospects in more developed economies.Additionally, the rising financial capacity of the middle classes in major sending countries—fuelled byeconomic growth in those countries—has further contributed to this trend (British council, 2024[1]). Despite the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, the number of internationalstudents hosted by OECD countries rose by 18% between 2018 and 2022, although this was slower thanthe rise of over 30% seen between 2014 and 2018 (Figure 1). This resilience reflects universities’ ability toadapt quickly to new challenges, including the rapid expansion of online and hybrid learning, as well aspolicies implemented during and after the pandemic to support international students, such as flexiblevisa regulations, extended work opportunities and targeted financial aid (OECD, 2021[2]). Only five countries saw the number of international students they hosted fall between 2018 and 2022:Australia, Denmark, Italy, New Zealand and the United States. This decline is due in part to migrationand health restrictions implemented during the pandemic, which were particularly strict in Australiaand New Zealand, and more restrictive student visa policies in the United States (OECD, 2021[2]). Incomparison, only Belgium, France and Iceland recorded a decline in numbers during the period2014-18, and then only by small amounts. The biggest relative increases between 2018 and 2022 were seenin Chile and Slovenia, where the number of international students almost doubled (Figure 1). In Chile,this increase can be attributed to the rise of local universities in some international rankings and theirgrowing attractiveness to Latin American students (Times Higher Education, 2022[3]). However, it shouldbe noted that international students still represent just 1% of all students in Chile. In Slovenia, policiesencouraging student mobility and regional co-operation agreements have substantially contributed tothis growth. For instance, the Public Scholarship, Development, Disability and Maintenance Fund ofthe Republic of Slovenia plays a central role in promoting international mobility through programmeslike Ad futura scholarships, which support both incoming and outgoing students. (Public Scholarship,Development, Disability and Maintenance Fund of Slovenia, 2024[4]). Index of change Themost significant host and origin countries for internationally mobilestudents remained largely unchanged between 2018 and 2022 Hostinginternational students can strengthen tertiary education institutions by enhancing theirdiv