Mobility Decisions of Non‐European Degree Mobile Students in Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom

ABSTRACT This paper examines the decision‐making processes of non‐European students enrolling in master's degrees at research universities in Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom. Starting from the Rubicon model of action, our analysis of 28 in‐depth interviews with students from India, China and Iran illustrates how motivational processes unfold differently in relation to the contextual surroundings in each country of origin. We identified two main contextual areas in which motivations for international student mobility emerge: the home labour market (an area that has attracted little scholarly attention to date) and the higher education system. These different starting points are associated with three types of goal intentions: life‐changing migration, career‐related, and study or learning‐oriented goal intentions. Furthermore, our analysis indicates more homogeneity once prospective students reach the planning and action stage, where five main factors are influential: financial costs; visa regulations and work opportunities during and after graduation; choice of subject; international cooperation between universities; and the role of significant others.