Principle 8: International mobility

International experiences through learning mobility improve the quality of learning outcomes in higher education. Public authorities and higher education institutions should ensure equal access for all to the learning opportunities offered by national and international learning and training mobility programmes and actively address obstacles to mobility for vulnerable, disadvantaged or underrepresented groups of students and staff.

Besides further support to physical mobility, including full portability of grants and loans across the EHEA, public authorities and higher education institutions should facilitate the use of information and communications technology (ICT) to support blended mobility and to foster internationalisation at home by embedding international online cooperation into courses. Blended mobility is the combination of a period of physical mobility and a period of online learning. Such online cooperation can be used to extend the learning outcomes and enhance the impact of physical mobility, for example by bringing together a more diverse group of participants, or to offer a broader range of mobility options.

Public authorities should develop an action plan, or a similar major policy document, with quantitative targets for stimulating international mobility of students and staff from vulnerable, disadvantaged and underrepresented groups. International mobility opportunities should be inclusive and suit different needs and aspirations of disadvantaged, vulnerable and underrepresented students (long-term and short-term mobilities, blended and virtual exchanges, joint study programmes at different levels, summer and winter schools, etc.).

Public authorities should ensure top-level monitoring of specific characteristics of students and staff participating in international mobility programs. There should be annual data collection on the enrolment, retention and graduation rates of international students and staff from underrepresented, disadvantaged and vulnerable backgrounds. Public authorities should collect data on the percentage of students and staff participating in physical vs. blended mobility, particularly in relation to underrepresented, disadvantaged and vulnerable students and staff, as well as data collection on the financial support provided to underrepresented, disadvantaged and vulnerable students and staff for participating in international mobility programs.

Public authorities should provide professional training support to higher education institutions on how to successfully organise equitable and inclusive international learning mobility, in particular blended mobility and internationalisation at home, along with the physical mobility. Where necessary, top-level authorities should provide support to higher education institutions on the use of the new technologies for successful participation of underrepresented, disadvantaged and vulnerable students and staff in international mobility programs, particularly in blended mobility and internationalisation at home. Public authorities should consider providing funding support for: 1) guidance services, 2) mentoring services to enhance the performance and wellbeing of students and staff, 3) subsidised accommodation and food/canteens services available and accessible at higher education institutions for incoming and/or outgoing students and staff

Public authorities should provide targeted administrative and financial support for students and staff from vulnerable, disadvantaged and underrepresented groups to help them participate in international mobility. Public financial support for students should be fully portable across the EHEA while taking part in the international mobility programmes.