Education and Experience

The mobility of students has become one of the most common fixtures of global migration. Yet, international student migration experiences are under-researched. When discussed, they are typically assumed. The neoclassical economics theory of human capital usually serves as a short-cut for doing so. In turn, the lived experiences of such students are hardly empirically verified, except to be read off theory as win–win. Nevertheless, their increasing numbers and the ever-increasing pace of globalization in higher education, along with reports of their stress mean that this group of migrants can no longer be caricatured. What are the socio-economic characteristics of these migrants, how are they housed where they study, what are their education and work experiences? Australia is one country where such migrants are central to both the form and funding of higher education, so this chapter analyses the results of large surveys and official reports published by student associations, housing authorities, and universities, notably the University of Sydney and the Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations in the country, complemented by additional interviews with international students, university support staff, and student unions. The evidence questions the neoclassical economics human capital theory, as systemic racism against students is persistent both in their encounters with housing providers and with employers.