International Student Enrollment in the United States and Canada: An Elite Subsystem Within Universal Systems of Higher Education

This chapter examines the evolution and dynamics of international student mobility within the higher education systems of the United States and Canada. Drawing on a conceptual framework based upon Trow’s stages of system expansion, Marginson’s theory of high participation systems, and Altbach’s center–periphery model, it analyzes trends in international student enrollment, emphasizing higher education’s view of international students as sources of revenue. The chapter then considers how this perspective has affected the education and preparation of prospective international applicants, notably fostering the growth of shadow education and admission consulting industries. The chapter concludes by proposing strategies to create a more inclusive and equitable system for international students in light of financial pressures on these higher education systems and political resistance to international student access to these systems.