GLOBAL STUDENT MOBILITY AND PUSH-PULL DYNAMICS: THEORY, EVIDENCE, AND RECOMMENDATIONS

In the 21st century, the scale of international student mobility has grown exponentially. Traditional push-pull theory attributes student mobility to the "push" factors in home countries and the "pull" factors in destination countries. However, with the rise of regional mobility and the penetration of digital technologies, the complexity of migration decisions now extends beyond the explanatory scope of classical models. Through a systematic review of cross-national empirical studies over the past 20 years, this paper reconstructs the analytical framework of push-pull theory, revealing how emerging factors—such as political stability and the digitization of social networks—reshape global student mobility patterns. The study provides theoretical support for international higher education policies and offers recommendations for optimizing talent mobility, including improving education quality, enhancing labor market alignment, and strengthening political and social stability.