Gone international: a new generation

The report examines outward student mobility trends, addressing the following questions:

• Which students take part in international mobility?  
• Does mobility affect graduate employment, earnings and academic achievement?

Using HESA Graduate Outcomes survey data, this research focuses on UK-domiciled first-degree undergraduates who completed their studies at the end of the 2021-22 academic year, with longitudinal analysis of students across the cohorts 2017-18 to 2021-22 to track changes over time.  

Key findings  

• Mobility rates have declined:
  • Student mobility rates have dropped from 8.8% in 2018-19 to 3.5% in 2021-22.
  • Factors driving this decline include the COVID-19 pandemic and new visa requirements for European mobility post-Brexit.
• Equitable access to mobility is improving:
  • While overall participation has declined, students from underrepresented backgrounds have seen increases in their share of mobility opportunities.
  • Notable improvements were observed for disabled students, students from low-participation neighbourhoods, and students from Black, Asian and Mixed ethnic backgrounds.
• Mobility is associated with improved graduate outcomes among several student groups:
  • Mobile students from less advantaged backgrounds were more likely to achieve a first-class degree and secure professional-level jobs, and less likely to be unemployed, than their non-mobile peers.
  • Across the five years of data, mobile students from several groups had higher graduate salaries than their non-mobile peers.
    • Average graduate salaries were 1.6.% higher for mobile students compared to non-mobile students (£26,932 vs £26,501).
    • Black mobile students earned £27,733 on average compared to £27,210 for non-mobile Black students.
    • Mature mobile students saw the highest earnings boost, earning £28,987 compared to £27,257 for non-mobile mature students.

Recommendations  

• Outward student mobility should be a key component of a refreshed International Education Strategy (IES).
• Government should commit to long-term mobility funding, including multi-year programme cycles and funding for short mobilities.  
• A more consistent approach to data and reporting is needed along with regular programme evaluation.
• Widening participation and enhancing outcomes should continue to lie at the heart of the UK’s approach to outward mobility. 

Read the full report.