International Brazilian Students: Motivators, Barriers, and Facilitators in Higher Education

Abstract

International students have an increasing economic and cultural impact: In 2011 there were 4.3 million international students around the globe, and this number is expected to exceed 8 million by 2025. From this scenario, this article aims to discern the main barriers, facilitators, and motivators for the internationalization of students. In-depth interviews were conducted with 17 international students at different academic levels. The results indicate that the barriers to internationalization are intrinsic and extrinsic to individuals. The main facilitators of internationalization were networking training and access to student resources; and the main motivators were personal development and career opportunities. Therefore, this article brings three main contributions: (a) academically vis-à-vis the theme, (b) managerially, for institutions, and (c) for students, especially those at the master’s and PhD level. Findings from Brazilian students may also apply to different academic contexts, especially those from emerging countries.