Internationalization of Polish higher education in the context of demographic challenges. Selected aspects

Purpose: This article addresses selected aspects of internationalization of higher education (HE) in Poland in the context of demographic changes. The purpose of it is to analyze the dynamics of the number of foreign students studying at Polish Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and their structure by type of HEI, field of study and origin. Design/methodology/approach: A review of the literature on the subject and desk research with reference to data from the Statistics Poland were used. The analysis, covered the years 2004-2020, was based on selected methods of descriptive statistics. Findings: Between 2004 and 2020, the number of foreign students increased almost 10-fold. The average growth rate in the analyzed time series was 15.2% for the group of HEIs and 21.5% for non-public HEIs. The choices of foreign students most often group fields of study in the areas of social sciences, economy and medicine. There has been an increase in interest in studies in technology and services, while there has been a marked decline in fields of study related to the humanities and education. Research limitations/implications: The demographic perspective adds a new dimension to the issues of growth and development of HEIs, that is why this issue involves further in-depth analysis. Practical implications: Despite the apparent positive change with regard to the number of student-foreigners studying at Polish HEIs, this statistic, compared to other European countries, is still unsatisfactory. In the face of projected further unfavorable demographic trends, countries with positive natural increase and younger age structures, become an opportunity to compensate for the loss of Polish students. Efforts by the entire HE sector are needed to seize these opportunities. It is necessary to further correlate sectoral policies — HE with population, foreign and social policies. HEIs should improve processes related to caring for the broader relationship with foreign students. Originality/value: The paper is addressed to all interested in HE policy. The study should be seen as a contribution to the existing discussion in the issue of growth and development of HEIs. Keywords: higher education, higher education institutions, internationalization, demography. Category of the paper: research paper.