Student Mobility and Emerging Hubs in Global Higher Education

Abstract

Bangalore, India, has become an icon of globalization and the rise of the knowledge economy. Virtually every major technology company has opened an office there, seeking to capitalize on the large supply of highly skilled labor that remains relatively inexpensive by global standards. In a juxtaposition of old and new, foreign executives stay in five star hotels while oxen pull vegetable carts in the streets outside. Among the gleaming information technology (IT) office parks, another industry is being born: young foreigners are flocking to Bangalore—not on business, but rather to pursue their own education. The same universities that gave birth to India’s IT revolution have become recognized centers of scientific and engineering education. Students from Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates come to the area in growing numbers to receive an education that many consider to rival the best universities in the world at a fraction of the cost.