Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on International Higher Education and Student Mobility: Student Perspectives from Mainland China and Hong Kong

Ka Ho MOK*, Weiyan XIONG, Guoguo KE, Joyce Oi Wun CHEUNG

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Journal PublicationsJournal Article (refereed)peer-review

228 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The study critically examines how students in Mainland China and Hong Kong conceive overseas studies plans against the COVID-19 crisis. Amongst the 2,739 respondents, 84% showed no interest to study abroad after the pandemic. For those respondents who will continue to pursue further degrees abroad, Asian regions and countries, specifically Hong Kong, Japan and Taiwan, are listed in the top five, apart from the US and the UK. The pandemic has not only significantly decreased international student mobility but is also shifting the mobility flow of international students. This article also discusses the policy implications, particularly reflecting on how the current global health crisis would intensify social and economic inequalities across different higher education systems.
Original languageEnglish
Article number101718
JournalInternational Journal of Educational Research
Volume105
Early online date27 Nov 2020
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jan 2021

Bibliographical note

This article is based on a working paper of the Centre for Global Higher Education based in the UK, with further revisions. The authors thank the Institute of Policy Studies and School of Graduate Studies of Lingnan University for offering funding support to conduct the surveys.

Keywords

  • COVID-19 pandemic
  • Quality education
  • Student mobility
  • Studying abroad
  • Transnational higher education

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