International opportunities : searching for the meaning of student migration

Abstract. This paper explores aspects of the geography of international Student migration. By listening to the voices of British students we make a methodological contribution in terms of extending understanding of the intentions and values of Student migrants as developed over their life course. On the one hand, students stressed the social and cultural embeddedness of their actions, while on the other hand interviews with university staff and mobility managers pointed to the existence of other social structures that shape the networks of mobility that are available to students. Policy makers seeking to re-shape the geography of international Student mobility need to address the deeper socio-cultural forces that selectively inhibit movement although European integration processes have long paved the way for international living and work experience.