Dr. Rahul Choudaha is a Senior Researcher affiliated with the SERU Consortium. As a scholar-practitioner, Choudaha’s applied research focuses on mobility, experiences and enrollment of international students and its implications for internationalization and global engagement strategies. He has worked for nearly 15 years in global education services organizations and held cross-functional leadership roles including Executive Vice President at Studyportals and Chief Knowledge Officer at World Education Services. Choudaha is a co-founder of DrEducation, a research and consulting firm specializing in data-informed internationalization strategies. In this role, Choudaha ideated, produced and moderated a global webinar series with University World News.
Choudaha is extensively networked and widely recognized in the international education sector. As a thought leader and a subject-matter expert, his writings have appeared in Forbes, Huffington Post, South China Morning Post, Asia Times, The Global Times, Times Higher Ed, and University World News. He has chaired or presented nearly 150 sessions at professional conferences including keynotes/plenaries and has been quoted in over 300 publications including the BBC, Time, and The Wall Street Journal. He was featured in an interview with The PIE News and NPR.
Choudaha has taught graduate courses on International Higher Education at New York University and Baruch College. He received the Tony Adams Award for Excellence from the European Association of International Education in recognition of his research on international student segments. He served as the editor of the special issue of the Journal of International Students. He is an elected member of the General Council, the highest governance body of the European Association of International Educators (EAIE), an association with over 3,000 members. He served as the Chair of International Education Leadership Knowledge Community of NAFSA, an association of international educators with over 10,000 members. He was also the principal investigator of two national research reports commissioned by NAFSA: Association of International Educators. Choudaha is also a member of the Board of Directors of InterExchange, a New York-based nonprofit organization promoting cross-cultural awareness through exchange programs.
Choudaha holds a doctorate in higher education, master’s in business management, and a bachelor’s in electronics engineering.
Connect with Dr. Rahul Choudaha on LinkedIn and follow on Twitter.
Recent Peer-Reviewed Publications
Choudaha, R. (2018) A Third Wave of International Student Mobility: Global Competitiveness and American Higher Education, Center for Studies In Higher Education
Choudaha, R. (2018) Recalibrating Value for Money for International Students, University World News. Issue No:516
Choudaha, R. (2017). Three Waves of International Student Mobility (1999–2020). Studies in Higher Education, 42(5), 825–832.
Choudaha, R. (2016). Campus Readiness for Supporting International Student Success. Journal of International Students, 6(4), I–V. Retrieved from
Choudaha, R., & De Wit, H. (2014). Challenges and Opportunities for Global Student Mobility in the Future: A Comparative and Critical Analysis. In B. Streitwieser (Ed.), Internationalisation of Higher Education and Global Mobility (pp. 19–33). Oxford: Symposium Books Ltd.
Other Publications
Choudaha, R. (2018) Riding the Third Wave of International Student Mobility, International Education Association of Australia (IEAA)
Choudaha, R. (2018) The Third Wave of International Student Mobility and Global Competitiveness of Asian Universities, Higher Education in Southeast Asia and Beyond
Choudaha, R. (2018) Nationalist Style Politics will Trigger a New Wave of International Mobility, Times Higher Ed
Choudaha, R., (2017). Landscape of Third-Party Pathway Partnerships in U.S. NAFSA: Association of International Educators.
Choudaha, R., & Richard J Edelstein, R. J. (2014, October 15). Towards Quality Transnational Education. University World News. Issue No:339
Choudaha, R., & Streitwieser, B. (2014, October 03). How Do We Assess The Impact Of Internationalization? University World News. Issue No:337
Choudaha, R., & Contreras, E. (2014, July) Higher Education Internationalization – What Gets Measured, Gets Funded. University World News. Issue No:327
Choudaha, R., (2014, March). International Branch Campuses Get Too Much Attention. University World News. Issue No:312
Choudaha, R., & Chang, L. (2012). Trends in international Student Mobility. World Education News & Reviews, 25(2).
Choudaha, R., Orosz, K. & Chang, L. (2012). Not All International Students are the Same: Understanding Segments, Mapping Behavior. World Education News & Reviews, 25(7).
Choudaha, R., & Kono, Y. (2012). Beyond More of the Same: The Top Four Emerging Markets for International Student Recruitment. World Education News & Reviews, 25(9).
Event Presentations by Rahul Choudaha
[Keynote] Digital Credentialing and Talent Mobility, The Groningen Declaration Network, Puebla, Mexico, April 2019
[Chair] China and India: Maximizing Opportunities for Comprehensive Internationalization, NAFSA, Washington, DC, May 2019
[Chair] Future-Ready Strategies: Innovating for International Enrollment Success, AIEA, January 2019
[Panelist] Global Higher Ed in Changing Times, Inside Higher Ed, Washington, DC, January 2019
[Chair] Digital Strategies to Improve International Student Retention, American Council on Education (ACE) Executive Forum for Leading Internationalization, Washington, DC, November 2018
[Presenter] The Race for Talent – A Forum on International Students in America, CSHE, UC Berkeley, November 2018
[Presenter] Empowering a New Generation of Talent: Drivers and Impact of Post-Study Work Policies, AIEC, Sydney, October 2018
[Chair] The Innovation Imperative for Global Engagement Strategies, EAIE, Geneva, September 2018
New Models of Connecting Local and Global Higher Education, Going Global, Kuala Lumpur, May 2018
[Plenary] Megatrends Shaping Global Higher Ed, BCCIE, Vancouver, June 2018
[Chair] The Shifting Mobility of Students, AACSB Annual Conference, Honolulu, Hawaii, April 2018
[Chair] Innovation in Global Engagement: What Works, What Doesn’t, APAIE Annual Conference, Singapore, March 2018
[Presenter] Understanding Brexit and the Impact on Universities, CSHE, UC Berkeley, November 2017
[Keynote Speaker] Three Waves of International Student Mobility: Implications for Recruitment and Partnership Strategies, IUNC, Moscow May 2017
[Keynote Speaker] Accelerating Campus Internationalization with Technology: Emerging Trends and Strategies, SIT, April 2017
[Workshop] Global Mobility of Students From and To Asia-Pacific: Emerging Trends, Evolving Strategies, APAIE, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, March 2017
[Plenary] Global Trends Shaping International Education, Australian International Education Conference (AIEC), Melbourne, October 2016
[Plenary] Global Citizenship and Student Success, The British Universities' International Liaison Association (BUILA), Liverpool, UK, July 2016
Innovation in Global Engagement: What Works, What Doesn’t, Association of International Education Administrators (AIEA), Montréal, February 2016
