Javid Nafari

International Students Through the Looking Glass Javid Nafari

International higher education is a multibillion-dollar industry and is where students are seen as the revenue generators, the cultural ambassadors, and the perfect means of developing the host nation's human capital. However, existing research has done little to identify, analyze and categorize students' rationales for pursuing higher education abroad, and also for choosing a specific destination over others. Here, a taxonomy of such rationales, desires, and factors is presented through a comprehensive review of international higher education literature and based on the push-pull framework. The factors pertain not only to the home and host nations, but they also include factors related to the students, their family, culture, personality, goals, and desires. The book intends to inform faculty, academic advisors and any other individual with firsthand experience in interacting with international students. Most importantly, universities and policymakers in both home and host countries can utilize the information provided here to enhance their understanding of prospective or existing international students.