ABSTRACT
The national and international mobilities of Syrian students during the Syrian conflict represent a unique phenomenon and a rich study case of mobilities in periods of extreme uncertainty. The International Credit Mobility (ICM) programme offered by the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) of the European Union gives Syrian students a glimpse of hope in a period when opportunities to study abroad are rare. This chapter presents the status quo of the application of ICM in Syria as well as its impact and challenges to Syrian students and higher education institutions based on interviews conducted with students who benefitted from the programme. It highlights certain EACEA assumptions about students’ selection and motivation for undertaking ICMs and discusses their implications for the programme impact and participant representation. A set of conclusions are offered based on a critical analysis of these representations to increase the impact of this programme on Syrian students and higher education institutions which may consider the implementation of similar mobility programmes.
