INTERNATIONAL PROJECTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEMS IN LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN

The goal of this article is to analyze the main trends in international mobility in the systems of higher education in Latin America and the Caribbean, taking into consideration that the phenomena of internationalization in higher education is not foreign to countries from this region. However, this process has started recently, if compared to the experience in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). This is a matter of unquestionable relevance, not only to these countries, but also to Europe, especially Spain, since Latin American systems of higher education broaden the Spanish institutions' spectrum of operational opportunities. In order to achieve this goal, we will, firstly, analyze the flow of international students, from the point of view of its projection and of its geographical distribution. Then we will analyze statistical data, with the aim of classifying some of the region's systems of higher education. Finally, the most important conclusions are presented. Information used in this paper has been extracted from 2004 statistics, published by UNESCO in its Compendio mundial de la educacion 2006.