Published by Springer Nature in Higher Education:The International Journal of Higher Education Research, this publication was born on the initiative of Kateryna Nakvatska during her internship working with Giorgio Marinoni on higher education internationalization at the IAU.

Abstract:
Although there is growing literature on access to and survival in higher education among forcibly displaced migrants, cases of mass displacement across different geographies highlight the need for deeper exploration to understand the role of higher education in mitigating the impact of displacement. The Ukrainian influx to European countries in the aftermath of the country’s full-scale invasion exhibits an entirely different migration structure, both in terms of the origin country and the receiving countries, including the access and survival of Ukrainian forcibly displaced migrants in higher education and the role of higher education in these migrants’ future imaginaries. This study aims to examine the access and experiences of Ukrainian student migrants in French higher education, as well as how they use higher education to construct their desired future. A total of 20 Ukrainian Forcibly Displaced Migrants (UFDMs) were interviewed. The findings suggest that Ukrainian Forcibly Displaced Learners’ journeys to France are shaped by the interplay between agency and capabilities, in which agency enhances capabilities, while the resulting capabilities, in turn, reinforce the agency of the migrants in cyclical manner. The presence of political will at the EU and national (France) levels, along with institutional openness, reinforces their agentic capacity, strengthens their mobility capital, and enhances their retention in programs. Additionally, despite a strong intention for circular migration, the evolving situation in Ukraine forces them to develop alternative future plans, including staying in France or migrating onward. Higher education is identified as a fundamental tool that provides hope, confidence, and readiness for UFDMs to pursue these multiple futures.

Read the full article here.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-026-01719-w

Published by Amersterdam Unvierstiy Press in the European Journal of Education Policy and Practice (Volume 1, Issue 3), this article was written by IAU Manager for Internationalization Giorgio Marinoni and former IAU Intern Siro B. Pina-Cardona.

Abstract: As higher education institutions (HEIs) increasingly pursue comprehensive internationalisation, a persistent gap remains between strategic ambitions and practical implementation across teaching, research, and societal ambitions. Although HEIs are the primary drivers of internationalisation, effective and sustainable progress depends on active collaboration with a broader range of non-HEI actors across various stakeholder groups, including intergovernmental organisations, non-governmental organisations and higher education associations/networks, research hubs, and policymakers. Yet, the roles of these stakeholders and the extent to which different actors collaborate across groups and regions remain underexamined. This study aims to fill this gap through a systems thinking, multi-scalar framework, followed by an actor mapping and social network analysis to explore collaboration across sectors and regions. Empirical data consists of an actor matrix based on institutional documents and official websites, detailing formal partnerships and informal collaborations collected manually between December 2024 and February 2025. Results show collaboration within and across stakeholder groups, with some actors emerging as key bridges between regions and sectors. However, regional and structural asymmetries persist, particularly in developing regions and in links between research hubs and policymakers. Despite growing calls for equity-focused internationalisation, cross-sectoral collaboration remains limited, and socially oriented models seem to be disconnected from dominant intergovernmental and policy initiatives. These findings highlight the need for trust-based governance and more inclusive collaboration frameworks to achieve truly comprehensive internationalisation.

Read the full article here.

DOI:https://doi.org/10.5117/EJEP2025.3.006.PINA

Following collaborative work in the European Network on International Student Mobility: Connecting Research and Practice (ENIS COST Action), IAU Manager for Internationalization Giorgio Marinoni and Anita Kéri, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, University of Szeged, Hungary worked together to investigate global trends in the percieved importance of higher education internationalization marketing. This research was based on the results of the 6th IAU Global Survey on the Internationalization of Higher Education and led to the publication of an article in the Taylor & Francis Journal of Marketing for Higher Education.

Abstract: Internationalization of higher education is not a novel phenomenon, but with commercialization and commodification of higher education, the importance of marketing has become a central issue. Attracting an increasing number of students from different countries could mean competitive advantage for higher education institutions, some of which often rely on international students as a source of income. The aim of this research is to measure how the perceived importance of, and the role played by higher education marketing varies in the internationalization process of higher education institutions globally. The research examines data from the sixth global survey of the International Association of Universities with 722 participating institutions. Correlation, factor, and cluster analysis were run to determine the perceived importance of marketing in the internationalization activities of higher education institutions. Results indicate a significant perceived importance of marketing activities in internationalization, with distinct global university clusters emphasizing different aspects of marketing activities.

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With a chapter contributed by IAU Manager for Internationalization Giorgio Marinoni, New Conversations on Global Citizenship Education explores the multifaceted aspects of global citizenship education (GCE) in the context of contemporary university research, teaching and learning.

Through dialogues, interviews and chapters from internationally recognised experts, the book illuminates GCE's complexities and potential within higher education contexts. The collection offers critical perspectives on GCE across diverse cultural and knowledge frameworks from the Global South and the Global North. Contributors explore innovative pedagogical approaches for fostering global citizenship, analyzing recent research findings and trends, address implementation challenges and examining GCE's influence on educational policy reform.

Written for researchers and educators seeking to deepen their theoretical understanding of GCE and understanding implications for teaching practice, this volume will appeal to those with interests in citizenship education, globalization, education policy and higher education.

Learn more here and purchase the book here.

This DAAD report brings together data from the IAU 6th Global Survey on Internationalization and the INDISTRA project (funded by the German Federal Foreign Office), focusing on how digital transformation is reshaping international strategies in universities—especially in Germany. The findings highlight emerging trends and offer practical recommendations for policymakers, higher education leaders, and stakeholders to support and scale virtual internationalisation.

More information:

• DAAD-studies: Studien - DAAD

• Forschung Kompakt (DE): Forschung kompakt - DAAD

• Forschung Kompakt (EN): DAAD Research Brief - DAAD

This report serves as a complementary study to the 6th IAU Global Survey on the Internationalization of Higher Education(2024). While the Global Survey provided extensive quantitative data on institutional priorities and practices, this follow-up publication offers qualitative perspectives gathered from interviews with representatives of 11 higher education institutions worldwide.

The report is also an outcome of the research project “The Future of Internationalization Partnership,” supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (Project Number 890200018) and it is the result of a collaboration between the IAU and the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) at the University of Toronto.

More information:

• Full publication

• Publication launch

• IAU Global Surveys on Internationalization of Higher Education

The Future of Internationalization Partnership (FIP) was a three-year project, begun in May 2021, funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) that brings together The Center for International Higher Education (CIHE) at Boston College, the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) at the University of Toronto, and the IAU.

The outcome of the first year of the project, the report "The Internationalization of Higher Education in the Wake of COVID-19: A Rigorous Review of the Literature on Short-Term Impacts"  was published in September 2022.

In early 2025, the article "Im/mobility in a disruptive time: the impact of Covid-19 on the size and directional flow of international student mobility” was published in Comparative Migration Studies and is available on open access here. This article is based upon the work from COST Action CA20115 ‘European Network on International Student Mobility: Connecting Research and Practice’, supported by COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology).

IAU and Boston College collaborated on a research project about the role of English language instruction in higher education institutions(HEIs) around the world. IAU and the Boston College Center for International Higher Education (CIHE) co-supervised research undertaken by Xinyan (Sissi) Liu, a student in CIHE’s Master of Arts program in International Higher Education. This program requires that all students participate in a course titled “Field Experience in International Higher Education.” The course combines practical experience at higher education organizations, such as the IAU, with an in-depth research project.

Sissi’s report explores the national policies and role of English language instruction at HEIs in Brazil, France, Malaysia, South Africa and Spain. This is a particularly timely topic at the time when English language has become dominant in many fields, including in highly cited research and scholarship more broadly.

The first and second IAU Global Surveys on the Covid-19 Pandemic identified significant interruptions to both Teaching & Learning(T&L) and internationalization activities. The innovative responses from Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) around the world noted in the Global Survey reports generated interest in investigating the particular reasons behind these changes. This qualitative research project focusing on specific aspects of transformations in T&L and internationalization was developed as a result. It was carried out in the aftermath of a particularly turbulent period, but at the same time a period that saw a high level of innovation and resilience as institutions sought to continue their mission despite the challenging context. The results of this qualitative research project allow us to understand how and to what extent the experiences of HEIs during the pandemic have generated changes and transformations that go beyond the pandemic, as the project was conducted at a time where HEIs were no longer forced to rely on digital technologies to continue operating.

Read the report here.

The IAU contributed insights from the 6th Global Survey on Internationalization to a new collaborative study by the DAAD German Academic Exchange Service (Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst), exploring how digital transformation is reshaping international strategies in universities, with a focus on Germany. The study combines data from the IAU Global Survey and the INDISTRA project (funded by the German Federal Foreign Office) and highlights emerging trends and practical recommendations for policymakers, higher education leaders, and stakeholders to support virtual internationalisation.

Abstract: How are German universities coping with internationalisation in the course of digital transformation? This article addresses this question on the basis of selected findings from the INDISTRA project, funded by the German Federal Foreign Office, and survey data from the International Association of Universities (IAU). The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated digital adoption, fostering change in internationalisation practices. Internal drivers include international office leaders and academic leadership, while external factors involve funding agencies like the EU and DAAD. The study highlights increasing roles for IT staff and collaboration between administrative and academic personnel to enhance online delivery and partnerships. Post-pandemic, digital tool usage declined, but strategic focus shifted towards Internationalisation of the Curriculum (IoC) and Internationalisation at Home (IaH), emphasising inclusion and widening participation. Blended Intensive Programmes (BIPs) merge online and face-to-face exchanges, appealing to both sceptics and enthusiasts. Digitalisation offers potential but requires strategic integration, organisational support, digital literacy, and a holistic approach that promotes access, inclusion, diversity, and sustainable outcomes.

DAAD-studies: Studien - DAAD 
Forschung Kompakt (DE): Forschung kompakt - DAAD 
Forschung Kompakt (EN): DAAD Research Brief - DAAD