Abstract Caste as graded inequality transcends national boundaries and shapes South Asian ( sa ) diasporic experiences in transnational spaces. With Canada’s growing sa population, it is crucial to examine how caste-based inequalities are transnationalised. Through a Dalit lens, this article critically engages with existing literature to analyse how the internationalisation of higher education (IoHE) policies transnationalises caste, reproducing caste hierarchies within Canadian higher education institutions ( hei s). As colonial sites of knowledge production and neoliberal entities prioritising international fee-paying students, Canadian hei s fail to recognise caste discrimination. The article argues that Dalit students, already marginalised by economic barriers and limited capital, face further exclusion through caste-dominated pedagogies, social networks, and the dominance of colonial-brahminical curricula. Meanwhile, dominant-caste students leverage their caste capital to secure admissions, housing, and employment, reinforcing structural inequities. This article further calls for a reassessment of IoHE and edi policies alongside institutional accountability to address caste-based exclusion within Canadian hei s.

International student mobility has increased in recent years with the internationalization of higher education. However, this process may lead to acculturative stress, creating challenges for students' sociocultural adaptation and wellbeing. Music has been proposed as a potential tool to support both sociocultural adaptation and wellbeing. This pilot study examined the preliminary effects of a five-week music-supported cultural adaptation program on the sociocultural adaptation and wellbeing of international students in Northern Cyprus. A one-group pretest-posttest design was employed with 10 participants. Quantitative data were assessed using the SCAS-R, WHO-5, and the MHC-SF, while participant journals were used to provide supplementary reflective context for the quantitative findings. Quantitative data were analyzed using SPSS, and differences between pretest-posttest scores were examined using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Positive trends were observed in overall sociocultural adaptation (p = 0.009), particularly in the interpersonal communication (p = 0.008) and ecological adaptation (p = 0.014) subscales of the SCAS-R. Positive trends were also observed in mental wellbeing (p = 0.008) on the WHO-5 and in the emotional wellbeing (p = 0.007) and social wellbeing (p = 0.006) dimensions of MHC-SF. However, given the small sample size, absence of a control group, and single-group design, these findings should be interpreted with considerable caution and cannot be attributed exclusively to the music-supported activities. These findings suggest that music-supported cultural adaptation activities may warrant further investigation, and future research with larger samples and controlled designs is needed to evaluate their effectiveness.

ABSTRACT This paper examines how geopolitical transformations since the 2010s have reshaped the internationalization of higher education (IHE) across six major systems: China, Japan, South Korea (hereafter, Korea), Australia, the United States (U.S.), and the United Kingdom (U.K.). Moving beyond descriptive accounts of policy change, the study argues that contemporary internationalization is best understood as a geopolitically conditioned and differentiated policy field structured by distinct national policy logics. Drawing on comparative case analysis, policy documents, and recent theoretical frameworks – including the glonacal agency heuristic, responsible internationalization, and strategic regionalism – the paper develops a theory-informed analytical model that identifies three ideal-typical logics: state-led strategic internationalization (China and the U.S.), market-dependent internationalization (Australia and the U.K.), and demography- and function-driven internationalization (Japan and Korea). The analysis shows that these logics reflect how governments and institutions reinterpret internationalization in response to geopolitical rivalry, economic vulnerability, and domestic structural challenges. While countries exhibit hybrid configurations, systematic variation can be explained by the interaction of global pressures and national institutional conditions. The paper reconceptualizes internationalization as a strategically mediated and context-sensitive process, rather than a uniform cooperative phenomenon, offering comparative insights into how higher education systems adapt to an increasingly fragmented and uncertain global environment.

College sports in the United States have become a key site for internationalization in higher education, with international college athletes (ICAs) comprising 13% of Division I athletes (NCAA, 2023). While ICAs pursue degrees, compete at elite levels, and navigate F-1 visa requirements, their experiences remain underexamined in international education scholarship. This omission is especially stark for Black ICAs, whose stories are often collapsed into either generalized international student scholarship or studies of Black U.S. athletes. This dissertation addresses this gap by examining the experiences of Black NCAA Division I ICAs through the lens of Migration Infrastructure Theory and Black Diasporic Illumination (BDI) Framework. Together, these lenses illuminate how institutional actors, policies, and networks shape mobility and how Black diasporic students navigate intersecting systems of race, identity, and opportunity within U.S. higher education Using narrative inquiry and Critical Podcasting Methodology (CPM), the study deliberately centers their lived stories, revealing how race and migration intersect to influence belonging, opportunity, and career readiness. Findings will yield critical scholarship on internationalization and college sport, offering insights for more equitable institutional policies, practices, and programming.

Internationalization in higher education offers significant benefits for universities and host societies, yet international students frequently encounter multiple adaptation challenges. This study explored the key challenges, potential solutions, opportunities, and future prospects for international students at Iran University of Medical Sciences (IUMS). A qualitative study was conducted in 2024 with 31 international students meeting defined inclusion criteria. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews in Persian or English, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed thematically using MAXQDA 2022. Trustworthiness was ensured through credibility, dependability, confirmability, and transferability criteria. Four main categories emerged: (1) challenges - including language barriers, environmental adaptation, academic overload, cultural differences, nationality-based discrimination, personal isolation, and financial constraints; (2) solutions - such as curriculum restructuring, enhanced language courses, cultural awareness programmes, improved faculty English proficiency, and institutional advisory support; (3) opportunities - encompassing high-quality educational resources, diverse institutional support services, and personal skill development; and (4) future prospects - with most students intending to return to their home countries after graduation. International students at IUMS face interconnected linguistic, social, educational, cultural, and economic challenges that can adversely impact academic performance and well-being. Practical, multi-level interventions are necessary to support their integration and success. The findings provide actionable recommendations for university administrators and policymakers to improve the recruitment, retention, and satisfaction of international students and to strengthen the internationalization of medical education in Iran.

ABSTRACT Drawing on assumptions about the link between international higher education and socio-political development, this paper examines the impact of studying in established democracies on Russian young people's understandings of democracy. The analysis is based on 55 in-depth interviews with Russian students and alumni of American and British universities, conducted in 2018–2019. The article argues that international educational mobility increases Russian young people's political knowledge, albeit to varying degrees. In addition, in some cases, studying abroad helps refine concepts of democracy or facilitates the development of a meaningful understanding of democracy. However, such positive effects of overseas studies are somewhat weakened by uneven political learning manifest in some students’ fragmented and impressionistic political knowledge, and scepticism towards democracy as a political system.

ABSTRACT This systematic literature review examines how Internationalisation at Home (IaH) initiatives contribute to student skill development in higher education. Analysing empirical studies from 2019 to 2024 published in Q1-rated journals, the review applies a deductive content analysis based on Di Pietro’s (2022) and Pellegrino and Hilton’s (2012) frameworks of 21st-century skill domains. Findings reveal that IaH activities most significantly foster skills within the intrapersonal and interpersonal domains, particularly cultural awareness and sensitivity, intercultural competence, and attitudes such as curiosity and respect. To analyse co-occurrence patterns, a heatmap was created to show areas of significant alignment between IaH interventions and targeted skill development, underscoring that these are not incidental but systematically cultivated across curricular, co-curricular, and interpersonal learning contexts. The review emphasises the need for strategic and pedagogically aligned IaH design to effectively support globally relevant student skills, reinforcing the role of internationalisation in higher education.

In the context of globalization and internationalization of higher education, English proficiency has become a core competency for college students. Traditional classroom teaching faces limitations such as a single context, insufficient interaction, and limited practical opportunities. Extracurricular activities related to English have become an important complementary path for enhancing language proficiency. This study takes 120 senior English majors from Fuzhou University of Foreign Trade as the research subjects, adopts an interpretive sequential mixed method, and quantitatively analyzes the types, frequency, personal and family determinants of extracurricular activity participation, as well as their correlation with English scores. It also explores subjective perceptions and practical experiences through semi-structured interviews with 10 students. The results show that the frequency and type of extracurricular activity participation are significantly positively correlated with overall English scores; personal motivation, self-efficacy, family economic and cultural capital, and communication atmosphere are key factors affecting participation behavior; academic, professional, and cross-cultural extracurricular activities have differentiated enhancement effects on academic writing, professional application, and oral fluency, respectively. This study addresses the deficiencies in existing research regarding the lack of attention to senior student groups and the absence of a longitudinal perspective, providing empirical evidence for universities to optimize their English extracurricular systems and enhance the quality of talent cultivation.

The internationalization of higher education has become an increasingly important topic in academic research, as evidenced by a systematic review of 1,412 articles published over the past 25 years. Key themes surrounding this phenomenon include mobility, knowledge transfer, and cooperation, alongside competition, national strategies, and the mutual influence of higher education systems. The globalization of the economy has created pressures on academics, students, and university administrators, with challenges such as inadequate research funding and technological limitations. In response, universities have sought partnerships and alternative funding sources to enhance student and faculty mobility and foster research collaboration. This study builds on the work of Moshtari and Safarpour (2024), who identified key issues faced by East African countries in higher education, by exploring similar challenges in Southeast Asia, specifically the Philippines. These challenges are categorized into four main areas: i) policy; ii) financial and physical resources; iii) academic competencies; and iv) social and cultural factors. Additionally, our research proposes an agenda for success that includes the following dimensions: i) international engagement and mobility; ii) internationalization of the curriculum; iii) research collaboration; iv) reputation building; and v) fostering a research culture focused on innovation. Keywords: internationalization, developing countries, innovation, publication

Introduction Student mobility is a strategic component for the quality and internationalization of higher education; however, its development in Peruvian public universities has limitations associated with structural and institutional factors. The objective of the study was to analyze the socioeconomic, academic, motivational, and family characteristics of university students, as well as their relationship with their level of knowledge about student mobility procedures. Methodology A quantitative, applied research study was conducted using a non-experimental, cross-sectional, and correlational design. The sample consisted of 402 undergraduate students from the National University of Piura and the National University of Trujillo, who were given a validated questionnaire. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, odds ratio calculations, and profile identification through cluster analysis. Results The results show statistically significant associations between knowledge of mobility procedures and institutional, academic, and motivational variables ( p < 0.05). In particular, students at the National University of Trujillo are more likely to be aware of these procedures than their peers at the National University of Piura (OR = 2.188). Likewise, different profiles of students were identified who, despite their sociodemographic differences, share a limited knowledge of the student mobility process. Conclusions It is concluded that student mobility does not depend solely on individual motivation or economic capacity, but on the articulation of institutional strategies aimed at strengthening management, communication, and equitable access to information, highlighting virtual mobility as a viable alternative for expanding student participation.

This study was aimed at examining the benefits, challenges, and opportunities associated with higher education internationalisation (HEI) in a Ghanaian public university. To achieve these objectives, the study drew data from international students through 17 in-depth interviews, corroborated by evidence from the case university’s archival reports. The triangulation of the interviews with archival data enhanced the credibility and robustness of the results. We found that study abroad programs provided respondents the advantage of learning a second international language and enhanced their career advancement in the global job market. However, the language barrier was a major challenge for some international students, hindering their integration into the local learning community. While some research participants highly valued the unique perspective of social integration and intercultural exposure, others struggled to adjust to the new culture. The study highlights high-cost-of-living as a major challenge for international students, impacting their academic performance and overall experience. The university’s flexible tuition fee payment plan was recognised as a positive initiative to alleviate the financial burdens of international students. Our findings contribute to the literature of HEI in emerging economies and provide valuable insights for universities seeking to enhance the experiences of international students. In conclusion, universities hosting international students should provide language support, financial assistance, and social integration programs to increase students’ learning experience.

This study explores how incorporating generative artificial intelligence into the Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) framework can enhance internationalisation for home and social entrepreneurship education in multilingual settings. A four-week AI-supported COIL programme was conducted with 30 postgraduate students from Russian and Spanish programmes. Students collaborated in intercultural teams to develop bilingual social innovation projects. Data were collected before and after the intervention using validated scales measuring intercultural competence, social entrepreneurship skills, AI literacy and ethics, and linguistic self-efficacy. Repeated-measures ANOVA indicated statistically significant improvements across all domains, with moderate-to-large effect sizes. The most pronounced gains were observed in mixed intercultural groups, which may suggest a potential synergistic effect between authentic intercultural exchanges and AI-mediated language support. Additionally, notable improvements were observed in ethical awareness of AI use and linguistic self-efficacy. Overall, these findings suggest that the AI-COIL model may represent a practical and potentially scalable approach for integrating language learning, intercultural competence, social innovation, and responsible AI use to advance internationalisation in higher education.

Abstract Despite growing interest in the internationalisation of higher education, the experiences of international student parents, particularly international student mothers, remain largely marginalised in research and policy. This paper examines the emotional agency of international student mothers who leave their children behind in their home countries to pursue education abroad. Focusing on the narratives of nine Vietnamese post‐graduate student mothers, the study illustrates how these mothers navigated separation, caregiving and family dynamics across borders. It reveals how they reframed maternal absence, resisted deficit discourses and negotiated care responsibilities through emotional and spatial strategies. This study contributes to a more nuanced understanding of the intersections between mobility, motherhood and emotion in the lives of transnationally mobile female students. It argues that the simplistic narratives of international students focusing only on their academic and social integration in the host countries, with no reference to their left‐behind family, cannot account for the diversity in their lived experiences and overlook their challenges and emotional experiences.

With the internationalization of higher education (HE) in recent decades, there has been a growing trend to use English as a medium of instruction even in non-anglophone countries. Additionally, HE globally has witnessed a growing trend to use technology for pedagogical purposes. However, little is known about inclusion issues associated with these two trends, particularly in Asia. Utilising survey questionnaires with teachers (n = 327) and students (n = 5760), interviews with teachers (n = 20), and Padlet discussions (n = 49) and focus groups (n = 75) with students from the four most populous countries in Asia (Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia), the study provides insights into inclusivity in Asian HE. Findings highlight barriers created by the requirements for the English language and technology in entrance tests, digital divides with resulting impacts on students’ learning, and difficulties faced by students in their studies. The paper calls for more research to inform context-sensitive ways to use English and technology.

Purpose The internationalisation of higher education is essential for global academic recognition and cross-cultural exchange. India, with its strong educational legacy, aspires to be a key global player but faces challenges in attracting international students despite initiatives like National Education Policy 2020 and Study in India. This study examines the barriers and strategic pathways to strengthening India's global higher education presence. Design/methodology/approach This study employs a systematic literature review (SLR), which is informed by a critical interpretive synthesis approach. It examines existing literature, policy documents and comparative global education frameworks to identify key determinants influencing international student mobility. It critically examines systemic issues within Indian HEIs and evaluates strategic interventions that can enhance India's appeal as a study destination. Findings The study highlights governance inefficiencies, infrastructure gaps, inadequate student support and curriculum misalignment as key barriers to India's global education competitiveness. However, India's affordability, cultural diversity and policy reforms offer growth potential. Strategic improvements in governance, curriculum, marketing and policy are crucial to closing the gap between aspirations and outcomes. Practical implications This article provides policymakers, educators and institutional leaders with a structured roadmap for strengthening India's position as an attractive international education destination. The recommendations focus on improving institutional frameworks, fostering international partnerships, enhancing student experience and leveraging India's competitive advantages to meet global benchmarks. Originality/value This study offers a first-of-its-kind, comprehensive and multidimensional analysis of the internationalisation of Indian HEIs, integrating governance, curriculum, infrastructure and global branding. Unlike prior research focusing on isolated aspects, it provides a holistic perspective, advancing discourse on higher education internationalisation in emerging economies and laying the groundwork for future empirical studies.

The article addresses the issue of international academic mobility for medical students at Osh State University in the context of global socio-educational transformations. Under conditions of increasing internationalization in higher education, the development of sustainable mechanisms that facilitate students’ integration into international academic and professional environments has become particularly significant for the higher education system of the Kyrgyz Republic. The study aims to identify the role of language training in shaping the international academic mobility of medical students in the Kyrgyz Republic and to substantiate the author’s conceptual model of a step-by-step transition from primary forms of international labor mobility to full-fledged academic and professional mobility, taking into account the socio-economic, legal, psychological, and educational characteristics of the national context. The research is based on a comprehensive approach to the study of primary labor and academic mobility processes among students in the Kyrgyz Republic. The empirical basis includes regulatory and strategic documents in the field of higher education and international cooperation, statistical data from universities on students’ participation in temporary employment programs and academic exchange initiatives, as well as the results of questionnaires and interviews with students who have experience in working abroad and participating in international educational programs. The theoretical framework relies on the works of national and foreign scholars addressing educational migration, the internationalization of higher education, language training, and academic mobility. A total of 381 medical students participated in the study. Sociological survey findings revealed that the majority of students demonstrate elementary levels of language proficiency and are primarily oriented toward participation in short-term labor mobility programs, such as Ferienjobs. The problem of academic mobility among students lies not so much in the absence of institutional mechanisms as in the insufficient alignment between the educational infrastructure and students’ actual starting capabilities.

The internationalisation of higher education in the Global North typically prioritises income generation, knowledge flows, and attracting skilled workforce. In contrast, Türkiye adopts a distinct approach, aligning its strategies with a developmentalist political economy that leverages religious, historical and anti-colonial narratives across the Global South. This article explores how Türkiye conceptualises international higher education at the state level to promote South–South cooperation, with the aim of building solidarity and resistance against enduring and neo-colonial structures. Through an analysis of state-led discourses, this article examines how narratives of history, faith, and fraternity shape Türkiye’s relations with the Global South, and inform a universalist vision of the nation with affective orientations. These alignments reveal the potential for an alternative model of international higher education—one that advances self-reliant, sustainable development and fosters more multilateral cooperation among developing and low-income nations. • International higher education serves as a part of an infrastructure for Türkiye’s global engagement strategy. • Türkiye leverages higher education to build self-reliant, sustainable development cooperation across the Global South. • Türkiye’s higher education fosters South–South cooperation through historical ties, faith, and anti-coloniality. • Affective mechanisms adopted in Türkiye’s international higher education landscape aim to fuel solidarity and unity across the Global South. • Southern epistemologies are essential for understanding relational frameworks in South–South engagement through higher education.

ABSTRACT Transnational higher education (TNHE) plays an increasingly important role in the production of space and the negotiation of geopolitical order, yet this dimension remains critically under-examined. This article investigates the geopolitical strategies underpinning China’s rapidly expanding TNHE sector. Drawing on policy documents, administrative data, and institutional cases, we identify three central rationales: first, the strategic diversification of international partnerships to mitigate geopolitical risk and strengthen multilateral alignments, particularly through Belt and Road–related partnerships and engagement with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations; second, a pronounced shift towards STEM disciplines that facilitates technological sovereignty and recalibrates China’s position within the global knowledge economy amid heightened techno-nationalist competition; and third, an increased emphasis on geopolitical subject formation accompanying a discursive and operational shift from ‘Westernising domestic education’ to ‘localising international education’. These findings show that China deploys TNHE not as a passive host within a Western-dominated paradigm, but as an active agent in forging alternative geopolitical and geo-intellectual spaces. The study challenges TNHE scholarship dominated by market-oriented assumptions and contributes to a critical understanding of how the internationalisation of higher education is mobilised for grand strategic ends.

Cross-cultural adaptation is a multidimensional process shaped by both contextual resources and individual dispositions, yet it remains unclear whether personality operates uniformly across adaptation domains, particularly in relational host contexts such as China. This study examined whether personality tendencies are associated with cross-cultural adaptation among African international students in China, and whether associations vary across holistic, cultural, life, and interpersonal domains. We used a cross-sectional, quantitative-dominant design. Survey data were collected from 199 African international students enrolled across seven universities in Changsha, China. Personality tendencies were assessed using the 21-item Extraversion scale from the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ). Cross-cultural adaptation was measured with a 39-item Likert-type instrument capturing holistic, cultural, life, and interpersonal adaptation. Analyses included chi-square tests and one-way ANOVA for bivariate comparisons, and OLS regression models with robust standard errors comparing Model 1 (personality only) versus Model 2 (personality + demographic/study-related covariates, with university and major fixed effects). Supplementary semi-structured interviews (n = 7) were used to contextualize quantitative patterns. Extroversion was positively associated with adaptation outcomes, with the most consistent and pronounced pattern observed for interpersonal adaptation. In adjusted models, associations with holistic and life adaptation remained robust, whereas the association with cultural adaptation attenuated after covariate adjustment. Descriptively, 57.7% of extroverted students reported good interpersonal adaptation compared with 9.1% of introverted students. Interview narratives highlighted social communication demands, relationship-building, and culturally embedded interaction norms as salient challenges, providing contextual support for the domain-specific quantitative pattern. Personality tendencies-especially extroversion-are linked to cross-cultural adaptation in a domain-differentiated manner among African international students in China, with strongest implications for interpersonal adjustment. Findings support the value of differentiated, personality-sensitive student support strategies in international higher education.

Internationalization in higher education is under pressure around the world, and although most countries do not have dedicated internationalization strategies, significant energy is being directed toward this work at a national level across the European Higher Education Area.