Abstract
This study examined mobility within the understudied region of southern Africa and particularly, the factors that drive and shape educational migration toward South Africa as a regional, continental, and global destination. Based on a survey administered to international students across seven South African universities, the findings revealed leading reasons were based on human capital and geopolitical rationales. The study also uncovered notable differences based on students’ geographic origins.

Similar content being viewed by others
References
Altbach, P. G. (2004). Higher education crosses borders. Change, 36(2), 18–24.
Bhorat, H., Meyer, J., & Mlatsheni, C. (2002). Skilled labor migration from developing countries: Study on south and southern Africa. Geneva: International Migration Programme, International Labour Office.
Bogden, R. C., & Bilken, S. K. (2003). Qualitative research in education: An introduction to theories and methods (4th ed.). New York: Allen and Bacon.
British Council. (2012). The shape of things to come: Higher education global trends and emerging opportunities to 2020. Going Global 2012 Report. Retreived from http://www.britishcouncil.org/sites/britishcouncil.uk2/files/the_shape_of_things_to_come_-_higher_education_global_trends_and_emerging_opportunities_to_2020.pdf
Cantwell, B., Luca, G. C., & Lee, J. J. (2009). Exploring the orientations of international students in Mexico: Differences by region of origin. Higher Education, 57, 335–354.
Chien, C., & Kot, F. C. (2011). Building regional higher education capacity through academic mobility. Southern African Regional Universities Association.
Crush, J., Williams, V., & Peberdy, S. (2005). Migration in Southern Africa. In Policy analysis and research programme of the global commission on international Migration, Cape Town.
Ghemawat, P., & Altman, S. A. (2014). DHL global connectedness index 2014.
Institute of International Education. (2013). Open doors data: Fast facts. Retrieved from http://www.iie.org/en/Research-and-Publications/Open-Doors/Data/Fast-Facts
Jon, J. E., Lee, J. J., & Byun, K. (2014). The emergence of a regional hub: Comparing international student choices and experiences in South Korea. Higher Education, 67(5), 691–710.
Kiboiy, K. L. (2013). The dynamics of student unrests in Kenya’s higher education: The case of Moi University. A thesis submitted to the Department of Education Management and Policy Studies, University of Pretoria in fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, Pretoria, University of Pretoria.
Kondakci, Y. (2011). Student mobility reviewed: Attraction and satisfaction of international students in Turkey. Higher Education, 62, 573–592.
Lee, J. J. (2008). Beyond borders: International student pathways to the U.S. Journal of Studies in International Education, 12(3), 308–327.
Lee, J. J. (2010). International students’ experiences and attitudes at a US host institution: Self-reports and future recommendations. Journal of Research in International Education, 9(1), 66–84.
Lee, J. J., & Kim, D. (2010). Brain gain or brain circulation? U.S. doctoral recipients returning to South Korea. Higher Education, 59(5), 627–643.
Li, M., & Bray, M. (2007). Cross-border flows of students for higher education: Push- pull factors and motivations of Mainland Chinese students in Hong Kong and Macau. Higher Education, 53(6), 791–818.
MacGregor, K. (2007). South Africa: Huge growth in foreign students. University World News. Retrieved from http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20071206163532421&mode=print
Marko, K. (2009). Internationalization of higher education in Southern Africa with South Africa as the major exporter. Trade and Industrial Policy Studies: Services Sector Development and Impact on Poverty Thematic Working Group.
Marshall, C., & Rossman, G. B. (1999). Designing qualitative research (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
McMahon, M. E. (1992). Higher education in a world market. An historical look at the global context of international study. Higher Education, 24(4), 465–482.
Nkinyangi, J. A. (1991). Student protests in sub-Saharan Africa. Higher Education, 22, 157–173.
Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development. (2014). Education at a glance, 2014. Paris: OECD.
SAccess. (2014). Supporting the EU access to South Africa’s research and innovation programmes. ACCESS4EU: South Africa (Contract Number 243851). Retrieved from: http://www.esastap.org.za/download/sa_ri_capacity.pdf
Sehoole, C. (2011). Student mobility and doctoral education in South Africa. Perspectives in Education, 29(3), 53–63.
United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). (2012). New Patterns in Student Mobility in the Southern Africa Development Community. UIS Information Bulletin. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). 7.
World Economic Forum. (2014a). The global competitiveness report 2014–2015. http://reports.weforum.org/global-competitiveness-report-2014-2015/
World Economic Forum. (2014b). The global competitiveness report 2014–2015: Country/economy highlights http://www3.weforum.org/docs/GCR2014-15/GCR_Highlights_2014-2015.pdf
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Lee, J.J., Sehoole, C. Regional, continental, and global mobility to an emerging economy: the case of South Africa. High Educ 70, 827–843 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-015-9869-7
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-015-9869-7
