The internationalization of for-profit higher education institutions in the United States: Seeking legitimacy and responding to market forces via international student mobility

Institutional internationalization has been extensively researched in US higher education, particularly with reference to the public and private nonprofit four-year sector. This study contributes to an emerging body of literature that explores internationalization in other higher education sectors and forms, using an explanatory mixed methods research approach to examine for-profit higher education institutions. We draw from business, economics, and sociology literature to develop a theoretical framework that helps explain observed internationalization activity within for-profit higher education and apply it to examine trends in in-bound and out-bound international student mobility. Specifically, we focus on the economic rationale for the internationalization of higher education, the notion of for-profit higher education institutions as privately-owned entities, and key theoretical constructs, namely neo-institutionalism, market imperfection, and niche market orientation. The quantitative portion of our study helps us to understand the extent to which actual in-bound and intended out-bound international student mobility is present in for-profit US higher education. Our qualitative analysis informs how for-profit institutions market themselves to compete for international students, what strategies these institutions use to promote study abroad, and the relevance of an institution’s market niche regarding student mobility. Our findings indicate that while neo-institutional theory, market imperfections, and niche market orientation help us understand international student mobility in for-profit higher education, these institutions also vary in which activities and target audiences they exhibit such behavior toward. Given the significant role that for-profit institutions play in the US higher education landscape, analysis of how and why these institutions engage in aspects of internationalization is warranted.