International Students in Italy: an empirical survey Metropolis International Conference 2013 Tampere, 10 September 2013

110,000 enrolled foreign students The following student categories are included: Main characteristics Privileged networks with specific countries: 11,000 Agreements (e.g.China: Marco Polo and Turandot Programmes) Many students come from asylum applicants areas of origin, e.g. Iran, other parts of Middle East The incidence of second generation migrants is growing (42%) Italian emigrants’ descendants are increasingly interested in studying in Italy About 10,000 students at Roman pontifical universities. Around 20,000 USA students in the 200 American “colleges” whose stay does not exceed a semester About 66,000 in undergraduate courses, of which 78,2% non-EU. Around 5,000 in Higher Education in Fine Arts, Music and Dance (83,2% non-EU). Around 8,000 postgraduate students (74,0% non-EU).

EMN National Report: main results National policy perspective - No labour market competition - Potential brain circulation - Increase in university budget and overall economy (annual individual expenses €15,000) - Demographic benefits linked to changes of immigration status from study to work - Public perception: awareness of economic contribution but some reception difficulties (Istat Survey, 2012) Shadows - Economic difficulties linked to living costs, low number of grants and eventual remittances duties - Low level of Second Generations enrolled (plus limited admission to postgraduate studies) - Difficulties for visa issuance (also for family members) but usually not for stay permits -Failure to obtain recognition of academic qualifications (too many second degrees) Lights - Wide variety of origins and fields/levels of study - Excellent academic results also thanks to good language skills - Appreciation for Italian excellences before and after departure - Good relationship with Italian students and host society

Undergratuate students Non-EUEUItalian 2004/ / / / / / / / Higher Education in Fine Arts, Music and Dance Postgraduate students Non-EUEUItalian 2011/ Non-EUEUItalian 2011/

ISS International Student Survey Definition: undergraduate and postgraduate non-EU students (including those already staying in Italy). Methodology: online CAWI distribution (May 2012-January 2013) of a questionnaire made up of 60 closed-form questions with anonymous responses to all tertiary level non-EU students (undergraduate, Erasmus Mundus, Master Degrees, Phd, Specialisation Courses, Fine Arts Higher Education, pontifical and foreign universities). Contact strategies : IDOS mailing list (20,000 recipients interested in migration-related issues) and individual contacts: University lecturers and officers, Countries of origin authorities, Associations and NGOs, Ecclesial bodies, Media. Intercultural mediators and interns disseminated the questionnaire in libraries, student halls and in other meeting places. 5

Continents and countries of origin: 1,200 respondents and 98 nationalities Cameroon (35) Egypt (27) Tunisia (16) USA (47) Brazil (42) Ecuador (32) Albania (219) Russia (60) Moldova (47) China (129) Indonesia (34) Iran (34) Enrolled at 61 Universities, public and private, Italian and foreigner: mainly Sapienza University of Rome (417), University of Calabria (165), etc. 6

Demographic characteristics Most respondents arrived recently for reasons of study: 35.9% between and 34.4% between Due to the difficulties linked to recognition of foreign academic qualifications, 54.9% of undergraduates are already in possession of a BA/BSc. 34.6% of respondents are student-workers, often without a contract, found thanks to friends/nationals networks. 7

Evaluation of personal experience in Italian universities (%) 8 Most respondents (60.6%) are in progress with their exams while 91.0% are satisfied with their academic performance. 1 out of 5 interviewed students considers inadequate the Student Office, but 70.0% of respondents have an excellent relationship with teaching staff.

Evaluation of the level of integration in Italy The judgment is much less positive than the greater the cultural distance between the country of origin and Italy. The evaluation of a good level of integration increases with the duration of stay in Italy.

Migratory project: Intention to stay in Italy after graduation depending on the year of arrival in the country (%) The respondents’ choice to move to Italy was due to better career opportunities (24.5%). After graduation perspectives are more uncertain and 30.9% of students do not have plans.

Conclusions In conclusion, our survey shows that most part of non-EU students come to Italy for study purposes. There is a remarkable amount of second generation migrants who, after high school, decide to enroll in Italian universities. All students from non-EU countries are faced with considerable costs and difficulties. However, the survey shows a positive relationship with the university, particularly for European students who are nationals of non-EU countries, and a general satisfaction with the choice made and the results obtained. Nevertheless, not many respondents intend to remain in Italy after graduation. This would seem to indicate that foreigners believe that the country offers good education, but with limited opportunities for skilled labor.