This page has been amended. The UK Socrates Erasmus Council has been added to the list of funders of this project.

Higher Education Funding Council for England, Higher Education Funding Council for Wales, Scottish Higher Education Funding Council, Department for Employment and Learning Northern Ireland

5 August 2004

UK students spread their wings

A report published today (5 August) found that more UK students are going abroad as part of their study. Increasingly they are choosing English-speaking destinations, and interest is growing in combining study with work placements.

UK students have a range of opportunities for spending time abroad as part of their study at a UK higher education institution (HEI). There are various nationally-organised schemes, such as Erasmus and IAESTE, and individual HEIs organise their own arrangements with overseas HEIs. The report, International Student Mobility, has been funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), the UK Socrates Erasmus Council and the Department for Education and Skills (DfES), among others, to look at the trends in UK student mobility and the factors underlying student choice. Through analysis of 80 responses to a survey of all UK HEIs, the study found that although some schemes, such as Erasmus, have seen a decline in UK student numbers taking part, the overall number of students spending a period abroad as part of their studies has risen, mainly in countries where they can be taught in English. The study also shows a decline in numbers of students going to EU countries as part of their course, which seems to correlate with falling student numbers on language degree courses.

The principal aim of the study was to gather information which would help the higher education (HE) funding councils, DfES, HEIs and other organisations with an interest in student mobility to understand the range and types of student mobility available to UK students and the current trends in mobility. The research was undertaken by the Sussex Centre for Migration Research at Sussex University, and the Centre for Applied Population Research at the University of Dundee.

The report, 'International Student Mobility' (HEFCE 2004/30), is available from the HEFCE web-site. It reviews published material on UK student mobility, the arrangements at UK HEIs which are not part of a national scheme, and attitudes in HEIs to promoting and managing mobility. It also looks at the factors which underlie student choice about whether to spend time abroad as part of their studies, and reveals a growing interest in work-related opportunities. Students reported that financial considerations are the most important deterrent to going abroad, and that lack of linguistic ability is next in importance. There is, however, a generally held belief among students and HEI staff that mobility is of great benefit to students in their studies and future careers.

The study was envisaged as a first step in gathering comprehensive data on UK students' mobility patterns and choices. It has brought together previously uncollated data sources and provides for the first time qualitative and quantitative data on mobility programmes in UK HEIs as well as student opinions, drawn from questionnaires and face-to-face interviews.

Notes

1. HEFCE is a non-departmental government body which distributes public money for teaching and research to universities and colleges in England. In doing so, it aims to promote high quality education and research, within a financially healthy sector. The Council also plays a key role in ensuring accountability and promoting good practice.

2. The organisations funding the study were: HEFCE, Scottish Higher Education Funding Council (SHEFC), Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW), Department for Employment and Learning, Northern Ireland (DELNI), British Council, Association of HE European Officers, British Universities Transatlantic Exchange Association and the DfES/UK Socrates Erasmus Council.

3. The Sussex Centre for Migration Research (SCMR), University of Sussex, worked with the Centre for Applied Population Research (CAPR), University of Dundee. The consultants working on the project were: Professor Russell King and Enric Ruiz-Gelices at Sussex, and Professor Allan M Findlay and Alexandra Stam at Dundee.

4. Erasmus (European Community Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students) is the European Commission's educational programme for Higher Education students, teachers and institutions. It was introduced in 1987 with the aim of increasing student mobility within Europe. It is managed in the UK by UK Socrates Erasmus Council. Erasmus is the largest mobility scheme with about twice as many UK Erasmus Students as there are UK students travelling to all of the non-Erasmus countries.

5. IAESTE is the International Association for the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience. It is managed in the UK by the British Council.

Figures:

The responses of 80 HEIs to the survey indicated that just over half of all non-Erasmus mobility of UK students is to North America (Table 5 of the report). Sixty per cent of mobile students went to the principal Anglophone countries (USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand) in 2002-03. The region with the largest increase (73 per cent) in UK students between 2000-01 and 2002-03 period was Asia.

Table 5 (excerpt): Non-Erasmus outward mobility from 80 UK HEIs by main destination, 2000-01 to 2002-03

Main countries of destination	2000-01	2001-02	2002-03	% change 2000-01 to 2002-03	% of total mobility 2002-03
North America	1,575	1,917	1,960	24.4	51.8
Australia, New Zealand	198	291	314	58.6	8.3
Asia	226	324	391	73.0	10.3
EU	471	655	689	46.3	18.2
Other European	80	80	88	10.0	2.3
Latin America & Caribbean	88	131	125	42.0	3.3
Other and unspecified	158	218	217	37.3	5.7
Total students	2,796	3,614	3,784	35.3	100.0

Erasmus outward mobility - 2000-01 to 2002-03 (in all UK HEIs - table supplied by UK Socrates Erasmus Council)

2000-01	2001-02	2002-03	% Change	% Total UK mobility
9,628	8,479	7,957	-11.9%	60%