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In 2009, the Swedish parliament introduced tuition for students outside the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland. In 2011, the first feeypaying students arrived. Before the decision was made, industrial leaders, students, and representatives of higher education institutions had debated and questioned the decision. In this chapter, we reflect on the intervention of the introduction of tuition for postsecondary education in Sweden within a European contect. What were the experiences, impacts and development of student mobility 10 years after tuition was introduced? Did tuition turn out to be a serious mistake, or are the objectives fulfilled with the reform? A direct consequence was a decrease of 80% in the number of students in Sweden from outside the EEA and Switzerland. However, today, the number of students from outside Europe has increased, but the mix of students from different countries has changed. The analytical research of the chapter holds significance for policy making that affects entry points to education.

Increasingly, the extensive benefits of international academic networks, mobility and exchange have become linked with an awareness of the threats this also may imply. International student mobility has been a success story. The number of students has grown significantly in response to the globalisation of academic life. Generally, this has been seen as beneficial for the countries involved and especially for the cities where the students move. However, various attempts to get unauthorised access to critical sources and to knowledge, as well as to contest scientifically based conclusions with disinformation, have become a challenge for nations and higher education institutions (HEIs). In this study the increased number of international doctoral students in Sweden is examined, while we observe that the Swedish government, due to the rising conflict level in Europe and internationally, recently illustrated by the membership in NATO by Sweden, has initiated a review of its policies to enhance the awareness among HEIs of the risks that may be associated with international academic mobility. The US has long had an active policy involving various restrictions on academic immigration, so far this has not – at least not as an explicitly communicated policy – been the case in Sweden. Given this, the aim of the paper is to scrutinise the origin of doctoral students, identify countries from which the number of students has increased most and relate this to the risk profile those countries are given by the Swedish Security Service. Open and available data are retrieved from the Swedish Higher Education Authority. Our analysis of the ongoing transition in Sweden suggests that recruitment of international doctoral students will continue, since they are critical for the knowledge oriented small open economy, but it will increasingly be combined with a stronger focus on various security issues, as those have been identified by the government and communicated with the academic community and the managements of HEIs. Clearly, Sweden and its HEIs are in a phase of transition into a new environment. It will take time for the HEIs to find appropriate and reasonable measures, although other countries have discussed similar problems. We place the discussion regarding the benefits of international academic exchange in a context where HEIs also must consider the threats that may be associated with international academic mobility. We then highlight that sensitivity is needed in the choice of measures to reduce possible threats and risks.

This study targets the students studying abroad. The aim is to focus on the Swedish outbound exchange students and to discuss what can be expected post-COVID-19 with regards to studying abroad. International student mobility has become important in post-secondary education. Historically the students studying in another country to get a post-secondary education have grown significantly since the 1970s. However, some studies recognize that students' participation in exchange programs in the Nordic countries has not reached the expected level even when "study abroad opportunities" exist within their study programs. There are other ways to have an international experience than studying in a foreign country as integrating on campus with international staff and/or students, and/or interacting via information and communication technology (ICT) with peers around the world without travelling. In these troubled and uncertain times, we are living in COVID-19 pandemic and other crises hampering worldwide travel, it is difficult to predict where this will lead to in the future or its long-term effects on mobility. The current COVID-19 pandemics may result in other ways of travelling the world to receive an international experience. This will certainly affect the willingness of international students to travel abroad for post-secondary education. Will the growth of youth travel continue or change after COVID-19? Expanding the social space interacting with international peers through ICT? It appears that COVID-19 is reshaping the concept of studying abroad and will open up new possibilities for virtual Cross-border education and this development will help the non-mobile students to receive an international experience during their studies and further enrich the understanding between students around the world. This study is using Swedish national statistics. The data describe the basic features of tertiary education.

In 2011, Sweden introduced tuition fees for students from countries outside the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland when they enrolled at higher education institutions (HEIs). As a direct consequence, the number of students in Sweden from those countries decreased by 80% that year. Since then, the number of students has increased again and, before COVID-19, was on its way to reaching the same level as before 2011. Nevertheless, the number of tuition fee-paying students only dropped by 3% for the academic year 2020/21, after nine consecutive years of growth. In this article we are assessing changes in inbound student flows and compare the outcome with the ambitions expressed by the Swedish government when the fees were introduced. The introduction of tuition fees in Sweden and the experiences from this offer quite unique possibilities to learn how students, HEIs, other actors, and societies react and adapt. By use of previous studies and new empirics we analyse and reflect on the outcome given the motives behind the reform, especially with regard to the ambition to continue internationalising post-secondary education and, furthermore, on the reform’s possible benefits and costs for post-secondary education in Sweden.

In 2009, the Swedish parliament decided to introduce tuition fees for students fromoutside the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland. The first tuitionstudentsarrived in 2011. A direct consequence was a decrease by 80 percent ofincoming students. The decision by the lawmakers was debated and questioned bybusiness leaders, students, and representatives for higher education institutions(HEI). In this reflection paper, we present the most common issues in that debateand reflect on those arguments ten years after tuition fees were introduced. Thedebate in Sweden prior to the reform and the following development represents aninteresting case that illustrates some of the dynamics of international studentmobility and the impacts this may have on HEI.

The number of Swedish students temporarily studying in another country to receive a post-secondary education amounts annually to approximately 22,000 students. The study aims to give some indications of where outbound Swedish students have spent their time and money studying abroad since the turn of the millennium. What are the popular study destinations? What are students looking for? Will their interest in studying abroad change post-COVID-19? The results show that English-speaking countries are attractive to Swedish outbound students. Top destinations are the UK and US. Countries such as Poland, Canada, Switzerland, Japan, the Netherlands, Latvia, South Korea and Singapore are growing in popularity. It is noticeable that big cities attract Swedish outbound students. Large metropoles can offer many prestigious Higher Education Institutions (HEI). Popular cities for Swedish outbound students are London, Copenhagen, Riga, Singapore and Sydney.

The number of students temporarily studying in another country to receive a post-secondary education has grown significantly since the 1970s. This study aims to learn more about what attracts Swedish outbound students when studying abroad. What are the popular study destinations? Can data reveal touristic preferences? Descriptive statistics from the Swedish Board of Student Finance are used, making it possible to scrutinize studying abroad on an aggregate level over a period of two decades. The results show that English-speaking countries are attractive to Swedish outbound students. Places growing in popularity are the countries of Poland, Japan, the Netherlands, South Korea, Singapore, and China, as well as the region of Hong Kong in particular. However, more than 50 percent of outbound students study in Europe. In these troubling and uncertain times, we are living in, with COVID-19 and other crises hampering worldwide travel, it is difficult to predict the long-term effects on mobility.

The aim of this study is to investigate students' expectations and experiences when studying abroad. A group of outbound exchange students at Umeå University, Sweden, were surveyed before and after the experience of studying in a foreign country. The study is based on a panel of 57 students, who answered one questionnaire prior to leaving for studies abroad and another after six months when most had returned to Sweden. Overall, the students were satisfied with their stay abroad. While the findings are partly in line with previous studies – the students expected to develop their language skills, learn more about another culture, develop as a person, and use the experience as a merit in their future career – this study also showed that in some aspects their perception of studying abroad changed. Perceptions that changed between the questionnaires concerned courses not being offered at Umeå University, more courses being available abroad than at home, and change of environment; the students appreciated this change more than they had expected. Moreover, the willingness to work abroad after finishing the studies was assessed lower upon the return home after the time abroad. Swedish outbound exchange students can be characterized as participants in horizontal mobility, as they expect a foreign higher education institution (HEI) to be of similar quality as their home university, thus emphasizing personal development more than academic achievement.

Will life satisfaction among international students change after having an experience of studying abroad? Some previous studies indicate inequalities and issues of social mobility embedded in international student mobility. International student mobility implies physical movement and new experiences gained while studying abroad. The ubiquity of international students and their generally successful adaptation makes it necessary to understand how they manage to turn a seemingly difficult situation into satisfying adaptation. One area of such concern that this study sought to explore was the students’ level of satisfaction with life. This study investigated the self-reported life satisfaction of inbound university students upon arrival to a university in northern Sweden and at follow-up six months later. After the study period abroad, the students’ levels of perceived satisfaction with their somatic health and activities of daily living had significantly increased. Higher levels, while non-significant, were found for the domains life as a whole, study situation and economy. These findings may indicate that studying abroad could have an impact on students’ reported life satisfaction, which highlights the value of a period of studying abroad. However, when exploring life satisfaction outcomes among internationally mobile students, it seems pertinent to study student mobility within a context. This study mostly targets international student mobility in a Western/European contex