It is increasingly argued within the literature on migration and mobility that a period spent living abroad (studying, working or travelling) is becoming a normal part of the life cycle. Indeed, Conradson and Latham (2005) suggest that it is often a feature of the ‘biography-building’ associated with societal individualisation, evident particularly amongst the young. Within Europe, educational mobility has also been promoted strongly in relation to the wider political project of forging a common European identity (through the ‘ERASMUS’ scheme, for example). Nevertheless, we know relatively little about why students decide to study abroad for the whole or part of a degree, and the impact such experiences have on their lives after they graduate. To address this gap in our knowledge, this paper draws on 85 in-depth individual interviews collected as part of a British Academy sponsored project on ‘International Higher Education and the Mobility of UK Students’. In it, we explore the decision-making processes of British young people who chose to study abroad for the whole of their undergraduate or postgraduate education, and compare their motivations and experiences to those of their counterparts from mainland Europe, documented in the wider literature. The paper begins with a discussion of this literature, which has focussed on European mobility policy, patterns of student mobility across Europe, and the motivations and experiences of European students. We then proceed to discuss the particular case of UK students in relation to our study findings, examining trends in student mobility before focussing upon their motivations and experiences. Throughout, comparisons are drawn with what we know about the educational mobility of European young people more generally.

The research is based on 85 in-depth, qualitative individual interviews conducted between September 2007 and February 2008. Our sample comprises four different types of respondent: sixth-form students who were seriously considering studying abroad for the whole of an undergraduate degree; young graduates who had completed an undergraduate degree at an overseas university; undergraduate students who were seriously considering studying overseas for a postgraduate degree; and young graduates who had completed a postgraduate degree at an overseas university. Respondents were recruited through a variety of channels including: adverts at five UK universities; mailings sent out by the alumni associations of various overseas universities; and mailings to a sample of schools and colleges. This has resulted in a diverse sample, in terms of both the personal characteristics of respondents and the institutions at which they studied (these include Italy, France, Sweden, Germany, Belgium, the United States, Canada, Australia and South Africa).

Our paper explores the following issues: (i) In relation to debates about the acquisition of cultural capital: to what extent is student choice increasingly made in the context of an international education market and exercised by travel overseas? Is overseas study a largely middle-class (and relatively exclusive) pursuit? To what extent does going overseas for education provide students and graduates with a greater competitive edge in a UK, European and/or global labour market? (ii) In relation to debates about the geography of education choice: of those who decide to study overseas, how are decisions made about the country in which to study? How are European opportunities valued against those offered further afield? To what extent are familial or cultural ties influential in determining choices? What implications do our findings have for initiatives to establish a European higher education area?