Student geographies: exploring the diverse geographies of students and higher education

In recent years a growing body of literature has emerged relating to what may be termed ‘student geographies’. In synthesising this literature pertinent to the geographies of higher education students, including their movements, [im]mobilities and identities, this paper seeks to achieve two objectives. First, to move beyond traditional geographical boundaries by incorporating important discussions from across the social sciences and second, to transcend inward⁄outward dichotomies in order to achieve a clearer understanding of the mobilities and concentrations of what is a complex and diverse social group. The paper explores the different scales which have been focussed on in this literature – from that on national and international student movements, through to those focussing on the more local geographies of students’ experiences of HEIs and their University location.