Iona Murdoch explores how student needs, government priorities and global trends are reshaping the future of UK outward mobility, highlighting shifting motivations, widening participation gains, visa and access challenges and the rise of short-term and globally diverse opportunities.
What students and government look at
The UK’s outward mobility landscape is entering a new phase. A sharpened political focus on immigration, skills and inclusion, combined with a renewed desire to participate in Erasmus+, has brought mobility back into the news. After several years of operating under UK-designed schemes, we now have a clearer understanding of what students value, and what they need to access opportunities, regardless of background.
As mobility patterns diversify and students explore a wider range of global destinations, many mobile-curious learners are driven by the desire to develop professional skills, gain confidence, experience something different, understand another culture, and meet new people. These motivations remain strong across student groups and are where some of the most significant long-term impacts of mobility lie.
At the same time, students tell us they often wish they had known more about the practicalities before going abroad: visa processes, cost-of-living differences, and what daily life truly looks like to ease the culture shock. These considerations shape not only their decision-making but also the support they expect from universities and mobility programmes.
Governments across the UK have embedded widening participation into programme design. The Turing Scheme and Taith have lowered minimum duration requirements and broadened access to global destinations, enabling students who may not be able to undertake longer placements to participate in international experiences.
Skills development has also come to the forefront of political ambition, with mobility positioned as a contributor to levelling up and preparing the future workforce. As association to the next Erasmus+ programme is negotiated, the sector is considering what future mobility could look like – one that supports global destinations, reintroduces staff mobility, and places a strong emphasis on employability, green and digital competences, and cross-border collaboration.
Minimum durations in Erasmus+ have been shortened compared to the framework the UK last engaged with, though they remain longer than many of the schemes institutions have grown accustomed to, such as Taith’s one-week minimum.
What the evidence tells us
Recent evidence, including Gone international: a new generation, has consistently highlighted that:
- Mobility is in demand, with 32,585 UK-based students engaging in a mobility in 2022-23 (HESA), and students recognising the value of global experience and skills development.
- Widening participation students benefit strongly: students from disadvantaged and underrepresented backgrounds who went abroad tended to achieve better academic outcomes and improved graduate prospects compared to their non-mobile peers.
- Students value a diverse mobile offering: 2022-23 HESA data shows that while Europe remains the most popular regional destination, it is at an all-time low (53.6%); Asia hosted the highest proportion of UK students in the last decade (17.9%); and work abroad is increasing, with 12.2% of students choosing paid work over study or volunteering.
These findings reinforce UUKi’s asks:
- Secure multi-year funding cycles, enabling institutions to plan strategically and sufficiently, building partnerships, and providing consistent opportunities for students.
- Maintain a strong widening participation focus that removes barriers and supports equitable access.
- Invest in better national data collection, ensuring mobility policy development is informed and responsive.
- To ensure future schemes, whether the Turing Scheme, Erasmus+ or others, reflect the diversity of destinations and models students are increasingly choosing.
As government considers the UK’s next step, these insights help shape a mobility environment that works for everyone.
Infrastructure and access: navigating post-Brexit mobility models
Post-Brexit, mobility infrastructures have diversified significantly. Short-term models have risen in popularity, while international partners and third-party providers have broadened the offering available to UK students. Flexible programming is now central to reaching students who may never have considered studying, working or volunteering abroad as it appeared out of reach.
Evidence shows:
- Visa challenges remain a substantial barrier, with institutions working collectively through initiatives such as the Outward Student Mobility Visa Working Group’s visa toolkits to support students navigating complex requirements.
- Destinations such as Japan, South Korea and the US are seeing increased interest, alongside growth in work abroad and shorter placements.
- Short-term mobility of under two months has played a pivotal role in widening participation. For many students, a week or two abroad is the only realistic option, or necessary to build confidence in going abroad for a longer period – and it still delivers meaningful impact.
Government must continue to understand and prioritise student needs. This includes addressing visa barriers, supporting flexible programme structures, and recognising the range of mobilities that enable widening participation students to participate. Ensuring that future mobility offerings retain the flexibility students have come to rely on – including non-credit-bearing opportunities – will be essential to protecting and expanding equitable access.
Postgraduate mobility and skills
Postgraduate research (PGR) mobility is a small proportion of overall mobility, with the most mobile students coming from undergraduate programmes. However, they are crucial contributors to diverse and connected research communities, bringing technical skills and field-specific expertise, as well as elevating individual institutions’ profiles and the UK’s soft power in international research and innovation.
Evidence shows:
- PGR participation is proportionally low (5.4% of students in 2022-23, HESA) – and while total UK mobility participation is slowly growing post-Brexit and Covid, PGR mobility only grew 2.0% (compared to a 19.5% growth in undergraduate first degree and 63.8% growth in postgraduate taught).
- Mobility at this level is strongly linked to the development of academic networks, exposure to diverse research methodologies, and progression into research careers.
- With the potential return to Erasmus+ and funding available for collaborative projects, creating international connections is increasingly important for fostering ideas, supporting research training, and identifying partners for future bids.
Participation in programmes such as Horizon Europe’s Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions demonstrates the importance of international experience to research careers, postdoctoral mobility and broader UK competitiveness. The UK is particularly strong in PhD and postdoctoral mobility through the Horizon Europe Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions. Institutions based in the UK are leading applications for both the 2025 Postdoctoral Fellowships and Doctoral Networks, with strong application numbers for the Staff Exchanges (3rd) and Citizens (6th) programmes. This is an area where the UK has been historically successful and we are seeing strong engagement following re-association to the programme. These programmes allow the UK to attract world-leading early-career talent, and connect researchers based at UK institutions to wider European networks.
Strengthening PGR mobility, therefore, not only benefits individual researchers but supports the wider research ecosystem, helps students build their confidence in going abroad for later in their career, and ensures the UK achieves value for money across programmes while supporting the wider research ecosystem.
Selection, fairness and widening participation
Ensuring that mobility opportunities exist and are accessible to all students is the foundation of widening participation. Once students reach the point of applying, however, selection processes can still influence who ultimately takes part, particularly where demand exceeds available places.
Approaches vary considerably across the sector – from academic grading to lotteries and peer-to-peer assessment – and these differences raise important questions about fairness, consistency and equity.
Key considerations include:
- how different selection models support or limit widening participation when places are competitive
- the extent to which academic grades reflect readiness or potential for mobility
- whether lottery-based systems can promote fairness where demand is high
- how peer- or values-based approaches might diversify participation or enhance engagement
As future mobility frameworks are considered, maintaining broad access to opportunities remains essential. Fair, transparent and inclusive selection processes play a key role in ensuring that mobility works for all students, particularly those from underrepresented groups, and should be supported by clear guidance and flexibility within programme rules.
Climate action and responsible mobility
Climate action is playing a bigger part in mobility design, but balancing sustainability with practical challenges remains difficult for institutions and students. Travelling green often costs more and takes longer, and mobility teams are navigating rising living costs, time pressures and other pressing priorities.
However, mobility can play a meaningful role in developing students’ environmental awareness. Experiencing different climates and seeing the impacts of climate change first-hand, from extreme weather to stressed ecosystems and rising costs, can shift perspectives in ways classroom learning cannot.
Students return with a stronger understanding of global challenges, new sustainable habits inspired by local practices abroad, and a deeper appreciation for slower, low-carbon ways of travelling gained from train journeys. These lived experiences can contribute to long-term behavioural change and support wider institutional sustainability ambitions.
Key considerations for institutions include:
- offering low-carbon or alternative travel options, supported by incentives such as Taith’s green-travel top-up funding, or – if the UK reassociates – Erasmus+ green travel top-ups that include both funding and additional travel days
- embedding green education into programme design and pre-departure/post-arrival training, drawing on expertise from institutional sustainability teams and best practices from the sector
- supporting returning students to reflect on and share sustainable practices learned abroad with their peers, helping embed these insights within wider institutional culture
- using tools and metrics, including those being developed through the Outward Student Mobility Climate Action Task Force toolkit, to guide work
National and global policy signals increasingly emphasise the need for green skills, climate literacy and international collaboration. The UK Parliament’s Green Education, Training and Employment briefing highlights the importance of preparing youth for a low-carbon economy with green jobs, embedding climate change in the curriculum and ensuring sustainability is more widely embedded across the higher education landscape.
The recent COP30 underscored the explicit importance of education and exchange of knowledge. International mobility can directly support these ambitions by enabling students to engage with global peers, compare national responses to climate challenges and develop the perspectives needed to navigate a greener future.
As mobility programmes evolve, the UK sector must lead by example – embedding sustainability into programme design, supporting responsible travel choices and ensuring students return equipped to contribute meaningfully to climate action within their communities and careers.
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Global mobility conference 2026
Explore these themes further at the Global Mobility Conference 2026
As the mobility landscape continues to evolve, it is clear that universities, governments and sector partners will need to work together to build opportunities that are inclusive, sustainable and grounded in evidence. The Global Mobility Conference provides a valuable moment to explore these themes in depth – to reflect on progress, share practical solutions and collectively shape the future of UK mobility. The opening plenary will consider what this future might look like, while the final plenary examines how international experience strengthens the skills and confidence students need to thrive.
By drawing on robust data, prioritising widening participation, embedding climate action and strengthening pathways for skills development, the sector can ensure that international experiences remain accessible and transformative for all students. We look forward to continuing this conversation with colleagues across the UK as we work towards a mobility system that is resilient, equitable and ready for the next generation.
