Internationalization at Home

At the heart of the idea of internationalisation at home is the premise that a key purpose of higher education is to enable all students to develop global understanding and intercultural skills, irrespective of whether they are studying ‘at home’ or in another country. As the majority of students—and academics—are not mobile, emphasis is placed, therefore, on their formal and informal learning in the local context. This entry explains how the term ‘internationalisation at home’ originated, and how its meaning can be extended to encompass issues that relate to the development of higher education systems that are more socially just.

‘Internationalisation at home’ is a term that originated towards the end of the 20th century and is attributed to the Swedish academic Bengt Nilsson. The concept ...