In recent decades, higher education has become increasingly more accessible across the world. With the expansion of local universities, international branch campuses and massive open online courses (MOOCs), students can pursue and earn a qualification from a well-established university without needing to leave their country.
However, the notion of going abroad to study still remains appealing despite the recent COVID-19 pandemic as many students still express interest in travelling abroad to further their studies.
The COVID-19 pandemic has also accelerated the growth of virtual student mobility programmes, where university students are invited to participate in intercultural and knowledge exchange remotely instead of being physically present in the host country.
Meanwhile, higher education institutions across Asia have already been involved in a long quest to ‘internationalise’ themselves and student mobility has become a key internationalisation strategy to attract talent from neighbouring regions and beyond.
Flying to a foreign land to pursue a degree is undoubtedly an irresistible dream for some, but why are students willing to leave their comfort zone for something foreign and unpredictable?
This question was the topic of a recent discussion we participated in, during which we reminisced about our aspirations for going abroad to study in the past. While our stories might not be particularly unique, they reflect much of what has been previously documented by other scholars on student mobility.