Student degree mobility between Europe and the US, 2000–2021

Academic mobility between the US and Europe is a major aspect of transatlantic university relations. The extent thereof is an important indicator of the intensity and quality of academic exchange.
Considering the development in absolute numbers of US students in Europe and European students in the US between 2000 and 2021, two central findings become apparent: while the number of US students in Europe has almost doubled, from roughly 23,000 to 43,000 (+86%), the number of European students in the US tumbled by almost one third over the same period, from roughly 60,000 to 43,000 (–28%). At the beginning of the period under review, almost three times as many European students were enrolled in the US than US students in Europe; for 2021, however, the mobility balance is balanced. A closer look at the development of the figures reveals that the decline in student mobility from Europe to the US primarily occurred between 2001 and 2009 (–27%), while the strongest increase in student mobility from the USA to Europe was recorded in the period from 2010 to 2020 (+65%).