“Non-EU students: yes or no? Obstacles for international students to join higher education in Flanders”
Recent tuition fee policy measures, geopolitical developments, restrictive migration and visa policies are increasingly shaping who can access higher education, with potential consequences not only for universities, but also for our economy, international collaboration and global engagement. This conference brings together scholars, policy makers, practitioners and students to critically examine the structural and policy context behind the current obstacles (such as increased fees, quotas for international students and visa restrictions) non-EU students face. During the conference, we will explore international comparisons, and reflect on the broader implications for international cooperation, academic inclusion and global engagement. After a series of expert contributions, insights will be brought together in a joint panel discussion, chaired by writer, poet and lawyer Esohe Weyden.
Following its annual tradition, the Academic Committee for Global Engagement at the University of Antwerp is pleased to invite you to this Academic Conference on Global Engagement, dedicated to a pressing contemporary theme in higher education and international cooperation. The conference is open to all (e.g. policymakers, civil society, academic actors and student associations).
Registration is closed. Please contact us if you would still like to join (globalengagement@uantwerpen.be)
- For more background information, read the ACA article on "Flanders introduces changes to internationalisation and access in higher education".
- Read the opinion article by Tom De Herdt: "Waarom wil de Vlaamse regering desinvesteren?"
Programme
12:30 - 13:00: Registration
13.00 - 13.15: Introduction and welcome (Tassiszaal)
13.15 - 13.40: 'Non-EU/EEA students as a source (or not) of 'top talent' - EU and national approaches, paradoxes and implications' by Irina Ferencz (Tassiszaal)
13.40 - 14.05: 'Preferences and Staying Patterns of International Students in Flanders' by Enzo Peeters (Tassiszaal)
14.05 - 14.30: 'Power of knowledge: Lessons from the UK push for Gaza students' by Nora Parr (online intervention in Tassiszaal)
14.30 - 14.50: Coffee break (Dürerzaal)
14.50 - 15.15: 'The Ripple Effect: How Policy Changes Shape International Student Mobility Dynamics in the Netherlands' by Christof Van Mol (Tassiszaal)
15.15 - 15.40: 'Advancing Higher Education Pathways for Refugee Students: Opportunities, Challenges, and the Role of Universities' by Gabriela Agatiello (Tassiszaal)
15.40 - 16.05: 'Beyond Talent and Threat: The Ethics of International Student Migration' by Gunjan Sondhi (Tassiszaal)
16.05 - 16.30: Coffee break (Dürerzaal)
16.30 - 17.15: Policy roundtable and audience participation, moderated by Esohe Weyden with Dina Alitem (student council coordinator on Ethics and Society, UAntwerpen), Nathalie Dens (Vice-rector on Societal Engagement and International Policy, UAntwerpen), Nedda El-Asmar (Dean of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp) and Nathalie Holvoet (Chair of Institute of Development Policy, UAntwerpen) (Tassiszaal)
17.15 - 18.00 Reception (Dürerzaal)
Irina Ferencz - Non-EU/EEA students as a source (or not) of 'top talent' - EU and national approaches, paradoxes and implications
The presentation will look, from a comparative and historical perspective, at the practice of limiting the inflows of international degree-seeking students in specific European countries. It will further frame the current narratives around ’top talent’ at the EU and national level, while addressing related paradoxes and the known implications of such decisions at national level.
Irina Ferencz is Director of the Academic Cooperation Association (ACA).
Enzo Peeters - Preferences and Staying Patterns of International Students in Flanders
The internationalization of tertiary education has expanded markedly worldwide in recent decades. We combine complementary student-level survey data with retrospective alumni-level data to examine the determinants of international students’ initial enrollment decisions, their retention in the host country, and their subsequent mobility choices.
Enzo Peeters is PhD student of Leuven Economics of Education Research Centre
Nora Parr - Power of knowledge: Lessons from the UK push for Gaza students
One hundred and twelve students and professionals in Gaza, seeking to continue their education, access international opportunities, upgrade skills to manage the new catastrophic realities of Gaza, and gain an international voice, were awarded scholarships at 34 top UK Universities in 2025. Countless obstacles stood between them and access to the study places they had earned. Looking at how universities mobilized (and were mobilized) in support of their students, this talk shares the ultimate power that administrative flexibility has over access to education, and some of the benefits that have already emerged around campus/classroom life, research, and the role of education in Gaza's reconstruction.
Nora Parr is Post-doctoral Researcher at SOAS, University of London
Christof Van Mol -The Ripple Effect: How Policy Changes Shape International Student Mobility Dynamics in the Netherlands
In this presentation, I explore the evolving policy landscape of international student mobility to the Netherlands and assess the influence of recently changed policy discourses on student flows as well as financial implications.
Christof Van Mol is Associate Professor in Sociology at Tilburg University
Gabriela Agatiello - Advancing Higher Education Pathways for Refugee Students: Opportunities, Challenges, and the Role of Universities
My presentation will examine higher education pathways for refugees in Europe and Belgium, focusing on opportunities and key challenges such as financing, visas, integration support, and post-graduation opportunities. The presentation will also reflect on how government measures shape these pathways and on what universities can do to better support refugee students in the current context.
Gabriela Agatiello is Senior Policy & Programme Manager at the International Catholic Migration Commission and Share Network
Gunjan Sondhi - Beyond Talent and Threat: The Ethics of International Student Migration
The rhetoric around international students is predictable: either they're the talent we desperately need, or they're a threat to our social fabric. International student migration is an entanglement of money, education, and migration policy. And the ethical and political implications of that entanglement are profound — and often invisible. This talk draws attention to some of these ethical and political concerns.
Gunjan Sondi is a feminist geographer leading The Open University’s Centre for Global Challenges and Social Justice as its Director, and a Senior Lecturer in Geography at the Open University.
Practical information
- The final programme will be published beginning of March. The afternoon will be divided into two main content blocks with a coffee break in between, and will conclude with a one-hour reception. You may join different parts of the conference.
- This conference is organised in collaboration with MIGLOBA, the Institute of Development Policy, the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences and Physiotherapy, Power in History (Centre for Political History) and Centre for Urban History and partners.
- The conference is in English. Colleagues from outside the University of Antwerp and all those with an interest in the theme are warmly welcome (e.g. policymakers, civil society, academic actors and student associations).
- The conference takes place in Hof van Liere (Stadscampus). Entrance via Prinsstraat 13, Antwerpen.