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Explore global mobility trends
By 2030, we forecast that there will be approximately 8.5 million international students, but what happens next depends on how universities respond to both challenge and opportunity. Global Student Flows helps your institution understand the shifts behind the data – and shape what’s next in global education.
Powered by QS, Global Student Flows sets out 3 future scenarios and 15 key drivers shaping global student mobility to 2030. It combines student voices with macro-economic data to reveal not just where students are going, but why they’re going there.
Global assets
Our global report outlines three scenarios for higher education in 2030. Use the report to strength test your strategy against these scenarios and build for the future.
Global Student Flows insights
The Global Student Flows Framework
The Global Student Flows framework integrates both qualitative and quantitative research within an open-source structure that supports the historical analysis and future forecasting of international student flows. The Framework organises 15 core drivers of mobility into three overarching categories – push, pull, and disruption factors. These drivers form the analytical basis for assessing patterns in student movement and are reviewed and refined annually through expert consultation.
Push factors
Drivers of outbound mobility from source countries
Pull factors
Determinants of destination market attractiveness
Disruption factors
Drivers of volatility and alternative mobility scenarios
Global Student Flows FAQs
What are the three scenarios for higher education in 2030?
Regulated Regionalism, where geopolitical fragmentation leads to strong intra-regional mobility and emerging destinations accelerate ahead.
Hybrid Multiversity, a world of blended, tech-enabled models that reshape where and how students learn, featuring a strong push towards transnational campuses and blended learning models.
Talent Race Rebound, a high-growth, globally competitive environment where nations aggressively seek international students as future citizens and workers, by offering structured immigration pathways. This scenario is grounded in deeper alignment between government, industry and education.
How can I use the Global Student Flows report to help build my higher education strategy?
Our forecast points to 8.5 million international students by 2030 – but what happens next depends on how the world responds to both challenge and opportunity. The Global Student Flows global report helps you anticipate change, compare flow patterns, and build proactive, evidence-led strategies.
What is Global Student Flows?
Global Student Flows forecasts multi-directional student mobility, guiding international education strategy for governments, institutions and the global talent ecosystem. The data and insights have been released as a global report, with regional reports following. The insights are accompanied by a series of webinars.