What is the purpose of international higher education? Editorial 

In an editorial for University World News, Omolabake Fakunle (University of Edinburgh) questions the rationale for international higher education, positing that currently there is a lack of “a clear understanding of what the purpose is of international cross-border higher education, at a global level.” Fakunle argues that while political and economic motivations for international education are well discussed, the social and cultural rationales are less so. Moreover, understanding individual students’ decisions to study abroad-e.g., factoring in experiential and aspirational motivations-remains a gap in the current conversation. The author concludes that discussions about post-colonialism and decolonization could help to overcome the current hegemonic Western orientation regarding the purpose of international higher education.