International student mobility is big business. Approximately 2.8 million students study abroad, distributing at least $50 billion around the globe annually.
Most international students come from developing or middle-income countries, the majority from East and South Asia, and most are self-financed. They contribute major revenues to the institutions and countries where they study and represent a key part of internationalization.
The number of students pursuing opportunities abroad is no longer limited to individuals from elite backgrounds. This larger pool has less international exposure and fewer personal sources of information than earlier generations of mobile students. This group is looking for help and willing to pay for it. Universities see these students as important sources of revenue and contributors to diversity; competition for them has soared.