Motivations and Experiences of International Students: An Evidence-Based Approach to Internationalisation of Indian Higher Education

Motivations and Experiences of International Students: An Evidence-Based Approach to Internationalisation of Indian Higher Education

Motivations and Experiences of International Students: An Evidence-Based Approach to Internationalisation of Indian Higher Education” funded by Indian Council of Social Science Research.

According to the All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE, 2020), India attracts approximately 49,000 international students annually, accounting for less than 1% of global International Student Mobility (ISM). Internationalization of Higher Education as a strategic policy to attract international students is a relatively new phenomenon in India. The NEP 2020 and the guidelines on ‘Internationalization of Higher Education (IoHE) by UGC envision “internationalization at home” to enhance the number of international students in India and restore its role as a Vishwa Guru.

The contemporary discourse and research on ‘Internationalization of Higher Education (IoHE) is primarily situated in a Western context, and the increased mobility of international students for revenue generation has been the main agenda globally. The majority of theoretical and empirical research on IoHE is conducted through a Western-centric lens. In contrast to the Western discourse on IoHE. 

This study intends to conceptualise IoHE through contextual lenses, in particular decolonialization, regionalization, and South-South cooperation. It intends to answer: How IoHE is conceptualised in India? What are the broad objectives of IoHE in India? Do Indian institutions have the same goals of internationalisation, as those pursued by the West? What are the major non-westernised approaches to IoHE and how are they different from India’s approach to IoHE? Are these objectives and approaches in line with the motivations and experiences of international students in India? The study proposes to conduct a primary survey in 10 states and approximately 100 universities in India to probe the research questions.