ABSTRACT
This chapter explains key sources of data that institutions can leverage for successful internationalization, including for strategic planning, benchmarking in two different contexts, understanding global trends, and utilizing student-level data. The use of data ensures continuous quality improvement of internationalization efforts. While the impetus for beginning an international strategic plan can vary, at its heart it articulates a university’s pathway to comprehensive internationalization. Strategic objectives infuse international and comparative perspectives throughout the teaching, research, and service of the institution. In addition to data on their home institutions, senior international officers (SIOs) often identify peer, aspirational, and consortia institution data sets to ensure overall quality of internationalization efforts. Students themselves can and should be a valuable source of data to enable institutional decision-making and enrollment management. For some stakeholders, economic data can be of great interest including the amount of money student mobility/exchanges may bring to the local economy.
