Higher Education Student Migration: Socio-spatial Structures and Processes in Canada and Abroad

Migration has become an important and familiar feature of higher education, where students increasingly cross national and regional borders to pursue their studies. This movement is driven by a complex interplay of global and local factors that influence students' migration decisions. In addition to students’ attributes, the most compelling of these factors is the attractiveness of universities, the attributes of students’ migration origins and destinations, and the structures and processes that drive the movements. In this dissertation, higher education student migration (HESM) is examined at global, sub-national and regional spatial scales. The research begins with an analysis of the intersectional effect of students’ gender and field of study on interprovincial HESM patterns in Canada. Using statistical z-testing of Statistics Canada’s Postsecondary Student Information System (PSIS) dataset, the study finds compelling evidence of significantly more migration among women pursuing STEM studies. Building on the intersectional effect and incorporating additional predictors of migration, the second study uses gravity modelling analysis applied to multisource linked data to examine the patterns of HESM in 17 Canadian city-regions. Results from the study reveal that urban university prestige may be an initial attraction force and, depending on the location (i.e. origin or destination), its effect compensates for regional attractiveness. In the third study, the thesis investigates the social network structure of international HESM among traditional, emerging and planned destination countries. The study underscores the utility of social media data for HESM research and evidence of an emerging global multipolar structure of international HESM. This thesis contributes to the broader understanding of HESM by highlighting the need for a holistic approach that integrates micro-, meso- and macro-level factors in migration frameworks. Additionally, the insights of the research have implications for regions in attracting and retaining talented individuals and also lays foundation for future research.