Cross-border education is a fast growing and diverse global market, but little is known about how international students actually live. Using international and cross-country comparative analysis, this book explores how governments influence international student welfare, and how students shape their own opportunities.

As well as formal regulation by government, ‘informal regulation’ through students’ family, friendship and co-student networks proves vital to the overseas experience. Two case study countries - Australia and New Zealand - are presented and compared in detail. These are placed in the global regulatory and market contexts, with lessons for similar exporter countries drawn.

Regulating international students’ wellbeing will be of interest to international students, student representative bodies, education policy makers and administrators, as well as civil servants and policy makers in international organisations. Students and researchers of international and comparative social policy will be drawn into its focus on a little understood but vulnerable global population.