International student mobility in Southern-Latin Europe: beyond the EU logics, towards a new space

Abstract

This paper discusses international student mobility (ISM) in Southern-Latin Europe, specifically Italy, Portugal, and Spain, analysing the inflow of international students as reflected in the UNESCO, OECD and European Commission databases. Only recently Italy, Portugal and Spain, as latecomers, have become more actively involved in ISM dynamics. This trend has been a response to EU pressures to internationalization, instrumented through the consolidation of the Bologna process and the need to build a common space of higher education. The analysis shows that at the intra-European level Italy, Portugal and Spain share similar ISM patterns; however, in the global context other logics shape ISM dynamics. This study confirms the great potential that Italy, Portugal and Spain, or the Southern-Latin European space, have to attract international students both from the EU and from other world regions.