FACTORS FORMING THE EXPERIENCE OF FOREIGN STUDENTS AND THEIR ROLE IN THE EXPORT OF HIGHER EDUCATION Natālija Sotikova, Mg.sc.soc. (MBA), Mg.Philol., doktorante Biznesa augstskola Turība, Latvija, nsotikova@inbox.lv Renāte Cāne, Dr.sc.soc., docente Vidzemes Augstskola, Latvija, renate.cane@gmail.com ABSTRACT There is intense competition in the modern education market, which forces higher educational institutions to choose a market-oriented strategy. As local student numbers shrink, universities are actively recruiting foreign students. Therefore, it is important to determine the factors shaping the experiences of international students while obtaining higher education abroad, and the impact of these factors on the development of higher education exports. The aim of this study is to assess the factors forming the experience of international students in the export of education. Surveys, frequency analysis, calculations of central tendency measures, and correlational analysis were used as the research methods. This study concludes that among the factors surveyed, students considered the following as the most important ones: opportunity to travel to different countries during the studies, price level in the country, safety level in the country, good opportunities for leisure and entertainment, and the friendliness of locals. The most important factors for higher educational institutions included quality of education, interesting student life, good relationships with local students and with other foreign students, good relationships with academic staff, and interactive lectures. These results are important for higher educational institutions because they help to determine how to shape positive experiences for the development of higher education export. Keywords: export of education, international students, experience forming factors INTRODUCTION There is intense competition in today's education market. In conditions when the number of domestic students is decreasing, one of the methods of development is to actively attract foreign students. Internationalization trends in the higher education sector have been observed for 30 years. The export of higher education in Latvia has become an important sector of the national economy. Foreign students are students whose nationality is not Latvian; in 2019, including exchange students, 11 thousand foreign students studied in Latvian higher education institutions (Report on Latvian higher education in 2019). The number of foreign students has been on the rise since 2005. The percentage of foreign students among Latvian students has increased from 1% in 2008/2009 up to 8% in 2015/2016 (Auers, & Gubins). The export of higher education provides significant financial benefits to the Latvian economy. Direct economic benefits provided by foreign students include tuition fees, housing expenses, other living expenses, as well as tourists coming to Latvia to visit the international students. Higher education also has a significant multiplier effect, as international students create and stimulate demand for housing, catering, entertainment, trade and tourism services (Auers, & Gubins). In order to attract foreign students to Latvian higher education institutions, it is necessary to find out which factors influence one’s choice of education or a higher education institution. The aim of the research is to study the factors forming the experience of international students in the export of education. Surveys, frequency analysis, and calculations of central tendency measures were used as the research methods. In the course of the research, the factors important for the marketing of student mobility destination experience were evaluated, the awareness of which will help higher education institutions to develop their marketing strategy for attracting foreign students. In recent years, in addition to traditional and online marketing, experiential