The Impact of COVID-19 Outbreak on International Student Mobility: Analysis, Response Strategies and Experience from China

The sudden outbreak of COVID-19 has had a huge impact on international higher education. As the largest exporter of international students, China bore the brunt. Facing the uncertainty of health and overseas study policy brought by the pandemic, Chinese students and international students in China are all waiting and considering whether to abandon or change their study abroad plans. In this article, we analyze the impact of the pandemic on the mobility of different international student groups in China and discuss China's higher education countermeasures from the perspectives of government, higher education institutions (HEIs), academic researchers, students, and service agencies for studying abroad. China's experience in combating COVID-19 can offer valuable lessons for global student mobility and international higher education, including building up a top-down government-led management system, a collaborative network of different stakeholders, and fighting the pandemic with international education cooperation.

Changes in International Student Mobility amid the COVID-19 Pandemic and Response in the China Context

International student mobility is an important indicator of the internationalization of higher education, and an important way to cultivate talents with global has had a huge impact on the mobility of international students. Specifically, the scale of international student mobility has decreased, changes in the geographic pattern of international student mobility have intensified, the form of international student mobility has changed, and the competition in the international study abroad market has intensified. As a major country that sends and receives international students, China has adopted a series of response measures to reduce the impact of the pandemic on international student mobility and has formulated a long-term development strategy to promote the mobility of international students. To promote international student mobility in the post-epidemic period, countries should provide support for international students from home and abroad, promote the diversification of international student mobility, and strengthen internationalization at home.