Affordable Excellence? The Baltic States as a Destination for International Student Mobility in the Global Education Competition

ABSTRACT Research on International Student Mobility (ISM) increasingly examines emerging destinations, reflecting broader dynamics of higher education (HE) internationalisation. The Baltic states—Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania—offer a compelling example of how small, non‐traditional destinations seek to position themselves within global HE markets. This study examines their strategies to enhance attractiveness for international students (IS) and to compete with established Western destinations, using a comparative approach to identify both shared orientations and country‐specific practices. All three countries emphasise affordable, high‐quality education, labour market relevance, and strategic branding while highlighting unique strengths: Estonia presents itself as a digital innovation hub, Latvia highlights multiculturalism and affordability, and Lithuania foregrounds a blend of educational tradition and modernity. National recruitment strategies operate alongside regional collaboration, collectively enhancing the visibility of the Baltic region internationally. By demonstrating how smaller HE systems leverage affordability, branding, and institutional adaptability, this study contributes to ISM scholarship and offers insights into the ways in which semi‐peripheral education systems navigate competition and cooperation within global HE hierarchies.