Student mobility and internationalization: challenges and opportunities based on the students experience

The internationalization of higher education is considered as an intentional process of integrating an international, intercultural or global dimension into the functions of the institutions, in a transversal way, in order to improve the services offered and to contribute to the society (DE WIT, HUNTER, 2015). Among the various activities related to internationalization, student mobility is one of the main actions of academic cooperation and presents challenges in its accomplishment.
Considering that the mobility of undergraduate students is mainly maintained through bilateral agreements, regardless of the existence of temporary government programs, it is understood that studying this process is important for an institution to improve its internationalization strategies.
In this context, part of the experience of the Federal University of Ouro Preto (UFOP) with the mobility of undergraduate students is presented. The data were obtained through the “Return Report”, a questionnaire applied to the students upon their return to the institution after mobility.
From the analysis of these data, it was possible to identify the main characteristics of the mobility experience, difficulties and recommendations of the mobile students.
Considering the analysis of the data and prioritizing the use of resources already existing at the University, proposals were presented to better prepare students for the mobility experience, in order to guide the work of UFOP International Affairs Office the internationalization strategies of the institution.