Alexandra Nitz
International Student Mobility in Colombia
Supervisor: Prof. Thomas Faist
The number of international students enrolled at a foreign university in a non-OECD country for a temporary period of time has been continuously increasing during the last years and this trend is going to persist. So far, there has been hardly any attempt - neither theoretically nor empirically - to analyse the motivations of students for choosing a non-OECD country as the target country for their international study. Focusing on the Colombian case, the aim of this dissertation project is to examine which motives are crucial for the selection of a non-OECD country and how these motivations are assessed in matters of their relevance by the individual student. Furthermore, it will be investigated if there are any differences in the evaluation of the various motivations by group characteristics, for example, nationality, course of studies etc. In order to address these issues qualitative and standardised interviews will be carried out at Colombian universities with international students from different countries of origin. On the basis of a new empirical data set this dissertation project will contribute to the understanding of micro level motivations for studying in a non-OECD country.
