From ‘candidates’ to ‘grandmasters’: internationalization strategies of universities

Relevance. Higher education is one of the main areas for the development of national and world economy. To remain competitive on the national and international markets of higher education, universities need to invest considerable financial, human and other resources into internationalization. There is, however, no ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution and universities may choose from an array of strategies to become more visible on the international arena and to move up the global rankings. Research objective. The purpose of this article is to clarify the concept of internationalization in the field of higher education, to identify the key factors that influence universities’ success in internationalization and to explore the strategies and activities used by universities from different countries to internationalize. Data and Methods. Methodologically, this study relies on the methods of directed content analysis, cluster analysis with SPSS statistics, case studies and interviews. The sample included 32 universities from Western Europe, China and Japan, Russia and the USA – participants of international programs of competitiveness enhancement. Results. 7 key factors that determine the success of a university’s internationalization efforts were identified, the most important of which are financial resources and international interaction. The study also proposes a methodology based on calculation of the internationalization index, which can be applied to determine this or that university’s type and choose the optimal activities to enhance its internationalization. Conclusions. Relocation of the university to a type (cluster) of a higher level through the implementation of the proposed activities can be considered as a modern way of their internationalization.