Terminology
Below are definitions of student mobility terms used by Project Atlas.
Project Atlas®
International (or internationally mobile) students: Students who undertake all or part of their higher education experience in a country other than their home country or who travel across a national boundary to a country other than their home country to undertake all or part of their higher education experience.
Number of Students Abroad: In general, the number of students from a particular country who leave the country to study abroad either for short- or long-term durations of study at the higher education level; defined by each data source (see specific data sources for details).
Number of Tertiary Institutions: This data reflects the number of higher education institutions in a given country; provided by data sources, where available.
Top Host Destinations The list of top host countries is based on the percent of global market share and based on data provided by data-contributing partners. The list is also cross-referenced against UNESCO and OECD data.
Undergraduate Degree/Qualification students: those studying abroad toward a degree or qualification awarded by an accredited higher education institution (e.g. B.A., B.S.)
Undergraduate Study Abroad/Non-award study students: those enrolled in undergraduate courses abroad but not pursuing a degree or qualification from an institution; students participating in short-term study abroad programs; exchange students.
(Post-)Graduate Degree/Qualification students: those studying toward a degree or qualification awarded by an institution in your country (e.g. M.A., M.S., Ph.D.)
(Post-)Graduate Degree/Qualification coursework students:those enrolled in graduate courses abroad but not pursuing a degree or qualification from an institution; students participating in short-term study abroad programs; exchange students
Business and Management: Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services; Personal and Culinary Services; Tourism and related courses
Engineering: Engineering; Engineering Technologies/Technicians; Transportation and Materials Moving; Construction Trades; Mechanic and Repair Technologies/Technicians; Precision Production
Physical and Life Sciences: Biological and Biomedical Sciences; Physical Sciences; Science Technologies/ Technicians
Social Sciences: Social Sciences; Psychology; Public Administration and Social Service Professions; Parks, Recreation, Leisure, and Fitness Studies; Area, Ethnic, Cultural, and Gender Studies; History; Security and Protective Services
Mathematics and Computer Sciences: Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services; Mathematics and Statistics
Fine and Applied Arts: Visual and Performing Arts; Music; Architecture and Related Services
Health Professions: Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing, Dietetics and Nutrition, Mental Health, Pharmacy, Veterinary Medicine, Alternative Medicine, Chiropractic, Podiatry, Medical Assistants and Laboratory Technicians, Public Health
Education: Teacher Education, Educational Administration, Student Counseling
Humanities: Foreign Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics; English Language and Literature/Letters; Theology and Religious Vocations; Philosophy and Religious Studies
Agriculture: Agriculture, Agricultural Operations, and Related Sciences; Natural Resources and Conservation
Other/Unspecified: Liberal Arts and Sciences and General Studies; Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs; Legal Professions and Studies; Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies; Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences/ Communications Technologies/Technicians and Support Services; Library Sciences; Residency Programs
Sources of Data
Global
- United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Institute for Statistics
- Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)
- EdStats (World Bank)
European Union
Assessment and Testing Data
- College Board
- Graduate management Admissions Council (GMAC)
- Educational Testing Services (ETS)
- International English Language Testing System (IELTS)
Centers and Organizations
- American Councils on Education
- Boston College Center for International Higher Education
- Brookings Institute: Center for Universal Education
- Program for Research on Private Higher Education (PROPHE)
- The Observatory on Borderless Higher Education
- Center for International Higher Education
- African Network for Internationalization of Education
- Education Division of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office of New York
- National Association of International Educators (NASFA)
- International Association of Universities
- The Cross-Border Education Research Team (C-BERT) at SUNY
Key Events
- National Association of International Educators (NAFSA) Annual Conference
- Comparative and International Education Society (CIES) Annual Conference
- American Educational Research Association (AERA) Annual Conference