Mobile lives: analysing changing patterns of student mobilities in a post-Brexit world

Abstract

This thesis explores the UK Government’s decision-making following Brexit, with a specific focus on how Outbound Student Mobility (OSM) would be encouraged and supported. Following the Brexit Referendum, intense uncertainty and geopolitical debate ensued, where questions arose surrounding how the UK would engage with both the EU and the rest of the world. This thesis examines how these decisions and re-negotiation of the state’s wider (geo)political agenda shaped how OSM would be supported. Further, it considers how these decisions and policy implications were evaluated, and had impact, at institutional and individual scales to better understand how Governmental scale HE Policy and approaches impact HE at grassroots levels. This qualitative study draws on three key sources of data. At the macro-scale, it evaluates governmental discourses surrounding OSM by critically analysing Parliamentary debates to understand key ideas and arguments underpinning governmental priorities and decision-making, and how these were supported and contested among MPs. Next, semi-structured interviews were held with HEI staff and mobile students to explore how the arguments of policymakers are adopted, understood and contested at these scales to conceptualise how OSM is constructed, understood, and operated at all levels of the HE system. Overall, this thesis identifies the ways in which constructions of the purpose and outcomes of OSM are shared across the board, but also where these are challenged, particularly in the importance of these at each scale, offering extensive conceptualisations of contemporary OSM that considers how these interact, align, and differ. In particular, this thesis presents data that both supports and negates policy assumptions surrounding the geopolitical purposes of the Turing Scheme, and how it might shape the identity of students. Further, through evaluating OSM funding schemes and study abroad programmes more broadly, it offers more comprehensive and practical recommendations on how approaches to OSM can be improved, going forward, to better meet the needs and imperatives of each scale within the system. This thesis expands on previous recommendations on how to improve the Turing Scheme’s operation and suggests how the UK Government and UK HE sector could better align to maximise the benefit of OSM for UK students and increase access to such experiences. Most notably, it suggests amendments to the Turing Scheme timeline, and the bidding process to both offer HEI greater temporal resource to construct their bids, whilst also offering disadvantaged students a greater certainty of funds, to make more informed decisions. In doing so, this thesis contributes to ongoing academic debate surrounding constructions and understandings of OSM processes and the various capitals and values these confer for its multiple stakeholders.

Thesis embargoed until 31st May 2028

Date of Award	May 2026
Original language	English
Sponsors	Department for the Economy
Supervisor	Suzanne Beech (Supervisor) & Sara Mc Dowell (Supervisor)