Search Results

The purpose of this study is to examine outgoing student mobility from the Nordic countries, with an emphasis on the professional value of studying abroad. The study gives new comparative and valuable information about student mobility and its outcomes. Among the key questions are the following: (1) Who are the Nordic mobile students? (2) Do the mobile students return to their home countries after graduation? (3) Do they find relevant employment? (4) Are they able to make use of their international skills? and (5) What role does the public student support system play in student mobility? The data used in the study is based on the Nordic Graduate Survey (NGS) conducted in Finland, Iceland, Norway and on the Faroe Islands in 2007. The data includes information about 6500 respondents, around 2600 of whom graduated abroad. In addition, the report includes information obtained from two separate data sets from Denmark. Although there are several similarities between mobile students from different Nordic countries, also disparities can be found. Mobile students are more likely than non-mobile students to have highly educated parents. In addition, they and/or their parents have prior experience of living abroad. The proportion that return to their home country after study abroad varies between the Nordic countries. Norway and Iceland have experienced the highest return rates. Public student support is the most important source for financing foreign study, even if the relative importance of grants and loans varies between the countries. Integration to the labour market seems to be somewhat more difficult for mobile students compared to non-mobile students. On the positive side, those who have studied abroad are more likely to hold international jobs - even if stationed in their home country.

Published abstract. Show less