Paper short abstract:

The paper seeks to explore social practices of outbound student mobility in two Mozambican universities. It presents empirical data about outbound student mobility regarding geographical and academic patterns.

Paper long abstract:

Academic mobility is at the heart of higher education internationalisation. Moving beyond national boundaries in higher education encompasses both benefits and risks. The main benefits are related to the fact that by sending students abroad to participate in exchange programmes, higher education institutions can achieve excellence, gain reputation, exchange information and experience with academic, scientific and industry organizations. Furthermore, because higher education institutions operate in a global competitive environment sending students abroad allow them to develop the skills, knowledge and attitudes which will allow them to work in a globalized and interconnected world. The paper seeks to explore social practices of outbound student mobility in two Mozambican universities. It presents empirical data about outbound student mobility regarding geographical and academic patterns, such as: the proportion of students going abroad to attend exchange programmes, the major destinations of Mozambican students, the duration involved, the main fields of study students engage with, the degrees achieved as well as the rate of return from host countries. The paper also discusses the role of student outbound mobility in university management: how do universities through their policy statements and strategic plans perceive outbound mobility in terms of benefits and risks? Do these policies implicitly or explicitly promote outbound mobility? Is there a specific department or office in charge of academic mobility affairs? How is it coordinated?