The Impact of COVID-19 on Higher Education: Rethinking Internationalization behind the Iceberg

The Corona virus (Covid-19) pandemic, which was first indicated in Wuhan, China and rapidly became a pandemic, led numerous deaths around the world until today. The global Covid-19 pandemic affected higher education institutions, as it affected all areas of life. The pandemic caught the nations off-guard. The effects of the pandemic on internationalization in higher education institutions were among the important issues emphasized in this process. Due to the pandemic, higher education institutions were closed in most nations. While certain countries attempted to solve the problem through distance education, certain others failed to manage the crisis due to the socio-economic and technological infrastructure problems. That's way, as the impact of the pandemic on the economy was felt both in developed and developing countries, it also led to an increase in prevailing inequalities in several fields. Ironically, the invisible part of iceberg of internationalization in higher education became even more significant. Because the inequalities in the opportunities provided for international students became more pronounced. The possibility of an increase in the decline in number of international students made it necessary to rethink internationalization in higher education in the near future. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the impact of Covid-19 on higher education with a critical approach and to present sustainable internationalization recommendations for higher education institutions.