Bis research paper number 128 The wider benefits of international higher education in the uk

2.6 Benefits and impact of international student mobility 
2.6.1 Beneficiaries 
International student mobility has a strong history and some evidence of the benefits and 
impact of students crossing borders has been accumulated and articulated over time, from 
a range of different perspectives (Woodfield, 2010). Most of the focus has been on who 
benefits and the way(s) in which they benefit, although there are often multiple 
beneficiaries and the impacts and benefits can be multi-faceted and interlinked. Less 
attention has been paid to the temporal dimension of impact, such as whether there is any 
‘time-lag’ to benefits, reduction over time (akin to a ‘half-life’ in radioactive decay) or an 
increase or evolution of impact over time. Another important issue is whether or not 
student mobility always provides those benefits or positive impacts, for all stakeholders, or 
to what extent they vary with the individual student.
The most obvious beneficiary is the mobile student (Fielden et al., 2007), although he/she 
is likely to be embedded in other social networks that may also receive immediate and 
short-term direct benefits, such as the student’s family, particularly if they work in a family 
business or if their family has supported them to pursue their studies.
Other potential beneficiaries in the student’s home country include sponsors and 
facilitators of mobility, such as employers or government or other funding agencies, as well 
as those who employ or engage with the mobile students upon their return. The 
stakeholder group for a mobile student could potentially be a wide cross-section of his/her 
society, depending on the individual’s role. If the mobility period is embedded within a 
home study programme, there can also be benefits to the home HE institution as it 
develops and refines its internationalisation agenda. 
Within host countries, the most direct beneficiary is the host institution, in particular the 
faculty or department which recruits the student. However, the wider HE sector can also 
benefit from inward mobility, as well as local communities, regions and even nations as 
mobile students engage more broadly with their host country during and after their studies.
In the spirit of cosmopolitanism and global citizenship, benefits of mobility can also be felt 
beyond the source and host countries as mobile students engage with citizens and 
organisations in other countries throughout their future lives.