Interregional mobility of university students in Italy: the impact of university’s policies and size on the attractiveness of regions

The interregional mobility of students to Italian universities represents a complex and constantly evolving phenomenon of growing importance within the context of the country’s higher education landscape. Several studies have been conducted to analyse underlying causes, current trends and wider implications of this phenomenon. The article aims to analyse universities' attractiveness at the regional level, disaggregating data according to students’ gender and type of degree course. This study also assesses the influence of policy interventions and the size of universities on universities’ capacity to attract more students. The macro-data were extracted from the National Student Registry of MIUR Cineca. In particular, the first dataset was extracted from the “students” section with various levels of territorial disaggregation, and the second from the “contributions and interventions” section. Applying a linear regression model, it was possible to identify the main areas for policy intervention and to assess the extent to which the size of universities can generate a greater inflow of students to certain regions. The results of this research can contribute to understanding the dynamics shaping higher education in Italy and enrich the perspective of higher education policymakers.