Mobility, Data and Recognition: New Perspectives on International Higher Education

Deadline for abstract submission ( October 1, 2026 ) Deadline for article submission ( January 10, 2027 )

The growing internationalisation of higher education is profoundly transforming the relationship between academic mobility, data, trust, educational institutions and qualification recognition systems. The recent UNESCO report Higher Education Global Trends Report: Towards Inclusive, Equitable and Quality Higher Education in an Internationally Mobile Landscape highlights how the increasing international mobility of students, the digitalisation of educational systems and the growing interdependence among higher education systems require new governance models based on interoperability, transparency and international cooperation.

This issue of Universitas welcomes interdisciplinary contributions addressing the transformations of the global higher education ecosystem, with particular attention to the relationship between:

• international mobility of students and researchers;
• recognition and new formats of digital credentials;
• the use of artificial intelligence in public policy and educational systems;
• the digitalisation of credential recognition systems;
• micro-credentials and lifelong learning;
• universities, UNESCO and international cooperation networks;
• quality assurance, transparency and trust in transnational systems;
• data governance and interoperability among educational systems;
• artificial intelligence and automation in qualification assessment and recognition processes;
• inclusion, equity and access to international mobility;
• recognition of qualifications held by refugees and displaced persons;
• new models of international mobility and the regionalisation of higher education systems.

Contributions from scholars and experts in higher education studies, sociology, law, political science, data science and digital innovation, as well as from professionals and practitioners in the field, will be considered.
The objective of this issue is to contribute to a critical reflection on future forms of global academic cooperation and on the conditions necessary to build more equitable, reliable and interoperable recognition systems.

Abstract Rules:

An abstract in Italian and English (max 1,500 characters).
Six keywords in Italian and English.

A short biography of the author, including:
Name and surname.
Research interests (not publication titles).
Any university or institution of affiliation, with the role held

Deadline for abstract submission ( October 1, 2026 )
Deadline for article submission ( January 10, 2027 )

The text must be sent to the Editorial Staff exclusively in Word format (doc or docx), to the e-mail address: redazione@rivistauniversitas.it.

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