A n d r z e j L i s
MOBILITY OF STUDENTS AND
INTERNATIONALIZATION OF HIGHER EDUCATION
AS A FACTOR SUPPORTING COMPETITIVENESS OF
POLAND IN EUROPEAN UNION
1. Introductory remarks
Economic transformation and membership in the European Union resulted in Poland’s inclusion into the main current of world economy. An economy in which competition and competitiveness have already become paradigms. As M.J. Stank-iewicz writes, “Competition is a phenomenon that has been infi ltrating all areas of human and social activity”1. Competition, or in other words rivalry in pursuing analogical goals, takes place predominantly on the level of enterprises. However, the subjects of competition are also national economies and groups of countries. In the evaluation of M.E. Porter, nowadays, “in the world of growing global com-petition, the importance of nations has grown, not decreased. Parallel to the fact that the creation and acquisition of knowledge is becoming the basis of competi-tion, the role of countries is growing”2.
One of the key factors that decide about the competitiveness of countries (“na-tions”) are the knowledge resources and human resources with their knowledge and qualifi cations. Th erefore, the concern about the development of knowledge, 1 M.J. Stankiewicz, Konkurencyjność przedsiębiorstwa: Budowanie konkurencyjności przedsiębior-stwa w warunkach globalizacji, Toruń 2002, p. 11.
which is located in such places as university schools, is so important for the com-petitiveness of nations. In accordance with the plans of the European Union, one of the factors that is supposed to contribute to the development of university edu-cation, and at the same time to the rise of the competitiveness of Euroland and of the member countries that constitute it, is a greater mobility of students3.
Th e aim of this article is an analysis and evaluation of the level of mobility of Polish students, as well as of the degree of internationalisation of university educa-tion as factors that contribute to the development of internaeduca-tional competitiveness of Poland. In this respect, students and universities have been evaluated in com-parison to other countries of the European Union. Moreover, the realisation of the set research goal required an identifi cation of the factors that decide the competi-tiveness of nations and a specifi cation from amongst them of the role and impor-tance of the internationalisation of university level education. To achieve the goal of the work the authors used the method of an analysis of the subject literature and of the statistics published by the Eurostat.
2. The competitiveness of nations and its determinants
Th e competitiveness of nations (countries) can be studied from two distinct per-spectives. Firstly, it can be treated as the ability “to produce goods and services, which in free market conditions and reliable commerce conditions are accepted on the world market, accompanied by a rise in real incomes of people in a long period of time”4. On the other hand, the competitiveness of nations can be per-ceived as “the ability to create conditions that support the development of interna-tional competitiveness of the industries of specifi c nations and of internainterna-tional competitiveness of companies working parts of particular national industries and businesses5.
Th e competitiveness of nations understood as the ability to create a proper competitive atmosphere is determined by four intertwined systems, called by M.E.
3 Key Data on Higher Education in Europe, 2007 Edition, Brussels, Luxemburg 2007, p. 129. 4 It is the offi cial defi nition of the term “competitiveness” adapted by OECD. Comp.: Competing in the Global Economy. A Strategy for International Competitiveness. National Association of
Manu-facturers. Quote from: M.J. Stankiewicz, op.cit., p. 31.
5 Perceiving the competitiveness of nations as an ability to create conditions for the development of international competitiveness is characteristic for M.E. Porter. Comp.: M.J. Stankiewicz, op.cit., p. 31. See also: M.E. Porter, O konkurencji…, pp. 196–201.
Potter “diamonds” of national competitive advantage, or “a lozenge of national advantage”:6
− factor conditions – a country’s position as to production resources: qualifi ed human resources or infrastructure necessary to be competitive in a given branch of industry;
− demand conditions – the demand on the home market for the products or services of a given sector;
− related and supporting industries – the presence (or lack) in a given country of delivery industries or other similar industries that are competitive on the global market;
− fi rm strategy, structure and rivalry – the conditions created by the state that determine the means of creating, organising and managing companies and the character of national rivalry.
Th e relations among the “diamonds” of competitive advantage of nations are graphically presented in picture 1.
Picture 1. Th e determinants of national competitiveness
Source: M.E. Porter, O konkurencji, Warszawa 2001, p. 207.
For the competitiveness of nations, the elements that are especially signifi cant are the ones of resource factors, called factor endowment, which include:7
6 M.E. Porter, O konkurencji…, p. 206. Comp.: M.J. Stankiewicz, op.cit., p. 32.
7 M.E. Porter, Th e Competitive Advantage of Nations, New York 1990, pp. 74–75. Quoted aft er: M.J. Stankiewicz, op.cit., p. 33.
Strategy, structure and
rival-ry of companies
Factor conditions Demand conditions
Related and supporting
– human resources – their number and qualifi cations, labour costs, work eth-ics, etc.;
– physical resources – the size, quality, accessibility of resources, as well as climate, geographical location, etc.;
– knowledge resources – national resources of knowledge and technology and the functioning of the market for knowledge products and services;
– capital resources – the size of the resources and the cost of the available capital;
– infrastructure – the kinds and quality of infrastructure, as well as the cost of using it.
From the point of view of the subject of interest of this article, special atten-tion should be given to the importance ascribed by M.E. Porter to human and knowledge resources as the most prominent production factors in refi ned sectors that constitute the basis of modern economy8. As M. Kleiber rightly states, “(…) nowadays, promoting innovation based on knowledge and its creative use is the best way of building a strong country with economy that guarantees strategic safety and steady development”9. Education, including according to the author its internationalisation, appears as one of the main factors that decide about the ability of countries to create conditions that support the development of com-petitive economy, and thus contributing to the development of comcom-petitiveness of these countries.
To guarantee highly qualifi ed human resources and the development of a sci-entifi c basis, it is necessary to promote competitive university education that off ers an educational product of the best quality. In reaction to this challenge, the Euro-pean Union initiated in 1999 the Bologna process, which assumes that by 2010 the European Higher Education Area will have been created. One of the key elements of the Bologna process is the promotion of students and academics mobility10, which will result in a higher level of internationalisation of university level schools. Both the factors can be in turn perceived as elements that support the growth of the Euroland nations competitiveness, including Poland, which is the main point of interest in this article.
8 M.E. Porter, O konkurencji…, p. 214.
9 M. Kleiber, Przyszłość tkwi w wiedzy, “Rzeczpospolita” 9.10.2008, no. 237 (8138), p. B7. 10 Th e Bologna Declaration, Joint Declaration of European Ministers of Education, Bologna, 19.06.1999. Th e text of the document is available on the Internet: http://www.ond.vlaanderen.be. Polish translation is available on the Internet page of Ministerstwo Nauki i Szkolnictwa Wyższego: http:///www.nauka.gov.pl.
3. The level of student mobility
To evaluate the level of Polish student mobility in comparison to students of other European Union countries, two indicators have been used:
– the number of Poles that study (at least for one academic year) abroad: in the countries of the European Union, in the European Economic Area – EAA countries (i.e. Island, Lichtenstein and Norway) and in the EU candidate countries;
− the percentage that expresses the relation of Poles studying abroad (in the above mentioned countries) to Poles studying in total. Th e level of Polish students mobility in the years 1998–2006 expressed in the above indicators is presented in table 1.
Table 1. Th e level of Polish students mobility in the years 1998–2006
Year 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006
[ths.] 10.6 12.9 14.3 16.4 18.8 22.3 25.3 27.7 33.9
[%] 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.9 1 1.1 1.2 1.3
Source: Eurostat statistical data [http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu, 21.07.2008].
As visible from the above data, in the years 1998–2006, the number of Poles studying abroad tripled. Taking into consideration a rise in the general amount of students, in the years 1999–2005, the percentage of Polish students abroad rose from 0.9% to 1.3%. To objectively evaluate the level of mobility of Polish students, a comparative analysis with other member countries of the European Union has been performed. In the entire Euroland (27 member countries), in the same pe-riod, the number of the ones studying abroad rose from 280 ths. to 458 ths. A de-tailed analysis of the number of students from particular countries of the Union who were studying abroad in 2006 (for at least one academic year) is presented in table 2.
Tabela 2. Th e level of mobility of students from the European Union in 2006
Country [ths.] Country [ths.]
Th e European Union 458 Lithuania 6.1
Austria 10.3 Luxembourg 6.6
Belgium 9 Latvia 2.9
Bulgaria 22.8 Malta 0.9
Country [ths.] Country [ths.] Th e Czech Republic 6.6 Poland 33.9
Denmark 5.5 Portugal 13.5
Estonia 2.9 Romania 18.9
Finland 9.2 Slovakia 22.3
France 47.2 Slovenia 2.5
Greece 36.9 Sweden 10.4
Ireland 27.7 Great Britain 10.4
Th e Netherlands 11.5 Italy 34.8
Spain 23.3 Hungary 7.1
Source: Eurostat statistical data [http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu, 21.07.2008].
Concluding from the statistical data below, in 2006, Germans constituted the biggest group among all the students abroad (57.9 ths., which is 12.6% of all the young Europeans who left their home country to study). Th e next group as to its size are the French (47.2 ths., 10.3%), Greeks (36.9 ths., 8%) and Italians (34.8 ths., 7.6%). Poles, who were studying abroad in 2006 in the number of 33.9 ths., were the fi ft h as to its size nation of students of the biggest international mobility.
Taking into consideration the number of the ones studying abroad, Polish stu-dents present themselves in a relatively positive way in comparison to other coun-tries of the European Union. Th erefore, it might seem that young Poles are willing to study abroad in search for the best educational product. However, taking into consideration the number of students in individual countries of the European Union, the level of mobility of Polish students presented as a percentage of the total number of students, a considerably less positive image appears, which is con-fi rmed by statistical data given in table 3.
Concluding from the statistical data presented in table 3, the average level of mobility of the European Union students rises only a little above 2%. Taking into consideration the importance that is ascribed by European institutions to the de-velopment of academic mobility, it seems that it is not a satisfactory result. Th ere-fore, it is not surprising that the Committee on Culture and Education of the Eu-ropean Parliament has issued an initiative according to which, considering another defi nition of the aims of the Bologna process, the issues of the mobility of students will be one of the priorities of the European Union in the area of educa-tion aft er 201011.
11 Comp.: Draft Report on the Bologna Process and Student Mobility (2008/2070 (INI), Th e Eu-ropean Parliament, the Committee on Culture and Education, 11.04.2008.
Table 3. Th e level of mobility of students in the European Union in the years 1998–2005 [%]
No. Country 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005
1. Th e European Union – an average 2 2.2 2.1 2.1 2.1 2.2 2.2 2.3
2. Austria 4 4.2 3.8 3.8 4.7 4.7 4.7 4.4 3. Belgium – 2.5 2.4 2.4 2.4 2.6 2.6 2.6 4. Bulgaria 1.9 2.6 3.2 4.3 6 7.4 8.6 8.7 5. Cyprus – 32.7 46.5 44.4 52.2 53.6 54.8 56.5 6. Th e Czech Republic 1 1.2 1.3 1.5 1.6 1.8 1.8 1.8 7. Denmark 2.6 2.8 2.7 2.6 2.6 2.7 2.5 2.3 8. Estonia 2.3 2.4 2.5 3.2 3 3.2 3.5 3.6 9. Finnland 2.9 3.3 3.2 3 3 3 2.9 2.7 10. France 1.3 1.9 1.8 1.9 1.9 1.9 2 2 11. Germany 1.6 1.9 1.8 1.9 1.9 1.9 1.9 2.2 12. Great Britain 0.7 0.7 0.6 0.6 0.5 0.5 0.6 0.4 13. Greece 13.8 14.1 12.4 10.9 8.6 7.9 7.3 5.9 14. Hungary 1.8 1.8 1.7 1.8 1.7 1.7 1.5 1.5 15. Ireland 11.7 11.1 9.4 8 7.4 7.5 8.5 8.7 16. Italy 1.4 1.8 1.7 1.7 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.5 17. Latvia 1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.3 1.7 1.6 1.7 18. Lithuania 1.5 1,5 1,8 2 2.1 2.3 2.3 2.6 19. Luxembourg 71.8 71.4 74.5 68.6 66 66.7 – – 20. Malta – 8.3 8.2 6.9 12.4 5.9 8.4 7.8 21. Th e Netherlands 1.5 2.2 1.9 1.8 1.7 1.8 1.8 1.8 22. Poland 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.9 1 1.1 1.2 1.3 23. Portugal 2.3 2.6 2.3 2.3 2.3 2.5 2.7 2.9 24. Romania 1.5 1.7 1.5 2 2.1 2.2 2.4 2.3 25. Slovakia 2.6 3 3 5.5 6.4 7.9 8.2 8.6 26. Slovenia 1.9 1.7 2.2 1.8 1.7 2.4 2.1 2 27. Spain 1 1.1 1.1 1.2 1.1 1.2 1.2 1.1 28. Sweden 2.7 2.7 2.7 2.7 2.4 2.3 2.2 2.2
Source: Eurostat statistical data [http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu, 21.07.2008].
Analysing the mobility of students in individual countries of the European Union, it is possible to state that in most of the cases it is similar to the medium average number of the whole Euroland. Th e smallest states of the Union consider-ably distinguish themselves. Cyprus and Luxembourg are the most outstanding, where over a half of their students study abroad. Th e next group, where the level of mobility is above the European average, are countries with a few percent mobil-ity indicator. In this group there are also predominantly smaller countries, includ-ing especially the youngest members of the European Union: Bulgaria (8.7% in
2005), Greece (5.9%), Ireland (8.7%), Malta (7.8%), Slovakia (8.6%). It should be noticed that in the states of this group that belong to the so called old Europe (Ireland, Greece) the student mobility indicator is on the fall, whereas the mobil-ity of the students from the new Europe countries (Bulgaria, Slovakia) is on the rise. Th e explicit low mobility of students from the British Isles can be surprising. Only 0.4% of all the studying Britons choose universities abroad. Th e mobility of students from the other countries of the Union wavers around the European aver-age, from 1.1% (Spain) to 4.4% (Austria). Poland, with the level of student mobil-ity reaching 1.3% (in 2005), is located at the end of the line. Polish students out-number only the aforementioned British students (0.4%) and Spaniards (1.1%).
4. Internationalisation of university level schools
From the point of view of competitiveness of nations, apart from the young people going abroad to look for an educational product on the highest level, exception-ally important is also the level of competitiveness of national higher (university) schools, including the international perspective. It seems that next to the recently so fashionable rankings of higher schools in individual countries, there is another, relatively objective, factor which can specify their attractiveness, which is the level of their internationalisation, i.e. the percent relation of foreigners studying in a spe-cifi c country to the total number of students. Of course, other factors that decide about specifi c choices of students should be taken into consideration, as well, such as the popularity of a given country’s mother tongue among foreigners (which gives a privileged place in the European Union to Great Britain or German speak-ing countries), the popularity of educational programmes conducted in interna-tional languages, or the widely understood costs of studying.
In 2006, 515.4 ths. students came for studying purposes to the member states of the European Union from other countries of the Euroland, from the European Economic Area Countries, and from the candidate countries. Th e most extensive group of students was welcomed in universities in Great Britain (144.4 ths.), which is not surprising taking into consideration the popularity of English language. Apart from Great Britain, the location that was the most oft en chosen by foreign students were: Germany (119.3 ths.), France (45.2 ths.), Belgium (30.5 ths) and Austria (29.4 ths). A detailed list of the number os students from abroad studying in individual countries of the European Union is presented in table 4.
Concluding from the above list, Polish universities are not so oft en chosen by foreign students. In 2006, only 3.1 ths. young people from other Union countries
studied in Poland. We were outnumbered not only by the Western European coun-tries, such as Grea Britain, Germany, France, or Italy, but also by much smaller countries of the Middle-Eastern Europe, e.g. by the Czech Republic (16.7 ths stu-dents from other EU countries), Hungary (9.2 ths.), or Bulgaria (6.8 ths). Unfor-tunately, the above statistics do not look very optimistic as far as Polish university education is concerned, taking into consideration especially its international com-petitiveness.
To objectify the data further, a comparative analysis has been performed of the level of internationalisation of higher education in the European Union taking into consideration the total number of students in individual countries. Table 5 presents a list of percents expressing the relation of foreign students (from the Union states) to the total number of students in a given country.
Table 5. Th e level of internationalisation of university education in the EU countries [%]
No. Country 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005
1. Th e European Union – an average 2.3 2.5 2.4 2.4 2.4 2.5 2.5 2.6
2. Austria 8.7 9 9.2 9.4 10.2 10.8 11.1 10.9
3. Belgium – 6.2 6.6 6.6 6.8 6.2 7.1 7.5
4. Bulgaria 2.3 2.3 2.3 2.5 2.2 2.5 2.7 2.7
Table 4. Th e level of internationalisation of university education in the countries of the European Union in 2006
Country [ths.] Country [ths.]
Th e European Union 515.4 Lithuania 0.7
Austria 29.4 Luxembourg 1
Belgium 30.5 Latvia 0.7
Bulgaria 6.8 Malta 0.2
Cyprus 0.7 German 119.3
Th e Czech Republic 16.7 Poland 3.1
Denmark 9.8 Portugal 3
Estonia 0.7 Romenia 1.6
Finnland 3.3 Slovakia 1
France 45.2 Slovenia 0.9
Greece 10.7 Sweden 19.1
Ireland 4.5 Great Britain 144.4
Th e Netherlands 22 Italy 17
Spain 13.8 Hungary 9.2
No. Country 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 5. Cyprus - 3.1 4 3.9 3.9 3.7 3.7 3.9 6. Th e Czech Republic 1 1 1.2 1.9 2.1 2.8 2.8 3.6 7. Denmark 2.5 2.7 2.6 2.8 3 3.5 3.5 3.9 8. Estonia 1.3 1.4 1.3 0.9 0.5 1.3 0.9 1 9. Finland 0.7 0.7 0.8 0.9 0.9 1 1 1 10. France 1.9 1.9 2 2 2 2.4 2.4 2.2 11. Germany 4.6 4.9 5.1 5.3 5.5 5.6 5.7 5.7 12. Great Britain 5.8 6.1 5.9 5.7 4.9 4.8 5.1 5.1 13. Greece – – – – 1.4 1.9 2 2 14. Hungary 1.5 1.5 – 2.2 2.1 2 2 2 15. Ireland 2.5 2.3 2.4 2.6 2.4 2.4 2.6 – 16. Italy 0.8 0.7 0.7 0.8 0.7 0.8 0.8 0.8 17. Latvia 0.2 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.5 0.6 0.6 0.8 18. Lithuania 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.2 19. Luxembourg 27 21.9 24.5 – – – – – 20. Malta – 2 1.7 1.5 3 1.4 1.7 2 21. Th e Netherlands – 1.6 1.6 1.9 2.2 2.3 2.3 3.4 22. Poland 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 23. Portugal – – 0.6 0.7 – 0.7 0.7 0.8 24. Romania 1.6 1.3 1 0.7 0.5 0.3 0.3 0.3 25. Slovakia – – 0.6 0.5 0.5 0.4 0.5 0.5 26. Slovenia 0.5 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.7 0.7 27. Spain 1 1.1 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 28. Sweden 2.8 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.3 4.3 4.5 4.6
Source: Eurostat statistical data [http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu, 21.07.2008].
In this analysis, the situation of Polish university schools seems even darker. With the internationalisation indicator of 0.1%, it takes the last place in the entire European Union. Th e leaders of the above list remain higher schools from Austria (10.9%), Belgium (7.5), Germany (5.7), and Great Britain (5.1%).
To objectify the evaluation of international attractiveness of higher education in separate countries of the European Union, there has been prepared a balance of the number of students from individual countries that go abroad and the number of students that come from abroad. In the author’s opinion, the results of this bal-ance, presented in table 6, can serve to evaluate international attractiveness of higher schools in individual countries of the European Union, and indirectly, they can also serve as one of the elements to estimate the competitiveness of nations.
As visible from the above statistical data, it was Great Britain that had the high-est balance of international attractiveness of higher education. In 2006, 144 ths. young Europeans came to Great Britain to study. Simultaneously, only 10 ths.
Brit-ons were studying in other countries of the Union, which resulted in a surplus of students – foreigners, in the number of 134 ths. People. A relatively high balance characterises also German universities (+61.4 ths.), Belgian ones (+21.5 ths.), and Austrian ones (+19.1 ths.). Whereas the group of countries with the lowest balance is comprised of Poland (-30.8 ths.), Greece (-26.2 ths.), and Slovakia (-21.3 ths.). Table 6. Th e balance of the level of internationalisation of higher education and the
mobility of students from the European Union countries in 2006 [ths.]
Country To From Balance
Austria 29.4 10.3 +19.1 Belgium 30.5 9 +21.5 Bulgaria 6.8 22.8 -16 Cyprus 0.7 17 -16.3 Th e Czech Republic 16.7 6.6 +10.1 Denmark 9.8 5.5 +4.3 Estonia 0.7 2.9 -2.2 Finland 3.3 9.2 -5.9 France 45.2 47.2 -2 Germany 119.3 57.9 +61.4 Great Britain 144.4 10.4 +134 Greece 10.7 36.9 -26.2 Hungary 9.2 7.1 +2.1 Ireland 4.5 27.7 -17.3 Italy 17 34.8 -17.8 Lithuania 0.7 6.1 -5.4 Luxembourg 1 6.6 -5.6 Latvia 0.7 2.9 -2.2 Malta 0.2 0.9 -0.7 Th e Netherlands 22 11.5 +10.5 Poland 3.1 33.9 -30,8 Portugal 3 13.5 -10.5 Romania 1.6 18.9 -17.3 Slovakia 1 22.3 -21.3 Slovenia 0.9 2.5 -1.6 Spain 13.8 23.3 -9.5 Sweden 19.1 10.4 +8.7
Source: Author’s own analysis based on the Eurostat statistical data [http://epp.eurostat. ec.europa.eu, 21.07.2008].
5. Conclusions
On the basis of the performed analysis of the academic writings on the subject, as well as of the statistical data concerning international mobility of students and internationalisation of universities in the European Union, it is possible to draw the following conclusions:
1. One of the key factors that decide about the competitiveness of countries (“nations”) are the knowledge and human resources, including their knowl-edge and qualifi cations.
2. In accordance with the goals of the Bologna process, the European Union promotes mobility of students and academicians, as well as the growth of internationalisation of higher schools, thus aiming at supporting the com-petitiveness of the member countries.
3. Taking into consideration the number of the ones studying abroad (33.9 ths. people in 2006), Poland takes the fi ft h place in the Union as far as student mobility is concerned. However, focusing on the general number of students, Poland is located at the end of the line with the score of 1.3%.
4. Th e relatively high number of young Poles going abroad to study is a factor that positively infl uences the competitiveness of Polish economy, yet under one condition, that the people come back to Poland once they fi nish their studies, and do not become objects of “brain drain” on the part of more competitive economies.
5. It can be worrying that Polish universities are exceptionally low internation-alised. In 2006, only 3.1 ths. foreigners from other countries of the Union were studying in Poland, which, taking into consideration the general number of students in individual countries, places Polish universities in the last place in Europe with the internationalisation factor of 0.1% (the Union average is 2.6). Th is situation proves the low attractiveness of Polish univer-sities for students from abroad. It is especially worrying in the times when economy based on knowledge becomes a paradigm of modern economy, which decides about the development of nations competitiveness.
B I B L I O G R A P H Y :
Kleiber M., Przyszłość tkwi w wiedzy, “Rzeczpospolita” 9.10.2008, no. 237 (8138). Porter M.E., O konkurencji, Warszawa 2001.
Stankiewicz M.J., Konkurencyjność przedsiębiorstwa: Budowanie konkurencyjności
przed-siębiorstwa w warunkach globalizacji, Toruń 2002.
Th e European Union documents.
Eurostat [the Internet website]: http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu
Key Data on Higher Education in Europe, 2007 Edition, Brussels, Luxemburg 2007. Draft Report on the Bologna Process and Student Mobility (2008/2070(INI)), the European
Parliament, the Committee on Culture and Education, 11.04.2008.
Th e Bologna Declaration, Joint Declaration of European Ministers of Education, Bologna,
19.06.1999.
SUMMARY
Th e development of the knowledge-based economy has caused that education has become a very important factor supporting the competitive advantage of nations. One of key ap-proaches of the European Union to strengthen the higher education in member countries is the promotion of the international academic mobility. Th e aim of this paper is to analyse and evaluate the international mobility of Polish students and the infl ow of students from the EU area in comparison to other European countries. Th e analysis is based on the stud-ies of the offi cial EU statistical data published by Eurostat. Th e main fi nding of the analysis is a big disproportion between Polish students in another EU countries (33 900 in 2006) and the infl ow of foreign students (3 100). International mobility of Polish students may be profi table for the country’s economy providing those students are not the target of a brain drain. Moreover, the disproportion may also indicate the relatively low level of the international competitiveness of Polish universities and colleges.
