Intra-ASEAN Student Mobility: Overview, Challenges and Opportunities

Purpose: This paper explores the issue of developing and enhancing intra-ASEAN international student mobility given the context of ASEAN integration, regionalization of ASEAN higher education and the various intra-ASEAN student mobility schemes currently implemented. Design/methodology/approach: It explores higher education policies, available higher education and international student mobility data, as well as the various intra-ASEAN (and relevant) student mobility schemes to present the current status of intra-ASEAN student mobility, challenges and opportunities to further enhance student mobility within the ASEAN region. Findings: Aside from showing that intra-ASEAN student mobility is significantly low compared to outbound student mobility from ASEAN countries, the paper also highlights the relationship between a country's income status with choice of intra-ASEAN or extraASEAN student mobility. Finally, it recommends developing a comprehensive intra-ASEAN mobility scheme taking the merits of the various intra-ASEAN mobility schemes currently implemented and guided by developments in the European ERASMUS mobility programs. Originality/value: This is probably the first (in fact, it is an exploratory) paper that address the issue of intra-ASEAN international student mobility, which aims to explore relevant issues to address the development of a comprehensive ASEAN mobility scheme.