Elite Education Abroad and Social Reproduction

We study how social origin affects the likelihood of obtaining university education, with focus on foreign elite and non-elite education. Having highly educated parents increases the likelihood of obtaining university education both at home and abroad. Our survey data on Danes who have emigrated for at least five years indicates that the parental background plays the biggest role in the choice to obtain elite education abroad. The distribution of parental education among those who obtain non-elite education abroad does not differ much from the distribution among those obtaining university education in Denmark. We suggest that the acquisition of distinctive educational capital abroad should be seen as a new investment and reproduction strategy, to be studied at the intersection of stratification and migration literature. Father’s education plays a bigger role for men while mother’s education plays a bigger role for women, especially among women going for elite education. When we asked respondents why they studied abroad, especially men highlighted academic level and prestige. For one third of women, partner was an important consideration. Together, the United Kingdom and the United States attract 60 to 70 percent of Danes studying in elite universities, and 50 to 60 percent of Danes studying at non-elite universities.