International student mobility and retention: evidence from discrete choice experiments
通过两个离散选择实验，发现学费是影响国际学生择校的最重要因素，学生愿为更高排名大学放弃高达8597欧元年学费；毕业后放宽移民限制可使留校概率提高11.62至23.99个百分点，且不同学生群体偏好差异显著。
International student mobility offers considerable economic benefits to host countries, yet it is increasingly challenged by shifting policies on funding, migration, and tuition fees. To inform strategies aimed at maximizing these benefits, this paper investigates the determinants of international students' institutional choices and their decisions to remain in the host country post-graduation. We conduct two Discrete Choice Experiments, enriched with detailed demographic information. We find that tuition fees are the most important determinant of university choice. Moreover, our results suggest that international students are willing to forego up to €8597 in annual tuition fees to attend a higher ranked university. For post-graduation decisions, easing immigration hurdles increases the probability of staying by 11.62 to 23.99 percentage points. Next, we show substantial preference heterogeneity across different student groups. The stay intention is 9 percentage points higher among visa-requiring students and between 4.6 and 6.2 percentage points higher among students with their own income source, suggesting that integration mechanisms may strengthen willingness to stay. These findings provide actionable insights for policymakers seeking to design targeted strategies to attract and retain international talent.