ABSTRACT
Student mobility, both through exchanges and the presence of “international” students (Baker, 2016), has for a long time been part of higher education (Messer & Wolter, 2007). However, with the rapid expansion of internationalization processes in recent years, student mobility has become increasingly prominent in higher education debates (Baker, 2016), not only in Western countries but mainly in the CIS countries or the Commonwealth of Independent States. Opportunities to visit Europe for educational purposes and beyond have turned into a dream for many students who promise to return with a new set of knowledge, fresh ideas, modern views, and advanced cross-linguistic competencies that would shape a new European Identity suggested by Oborune back in 2015. This chapter investigates the impact of international mobility programs on fostering European identity among students of CIS countries. Following generally accepted definitions of a European Identity, we try to identify the degree students relate themselves to the European community with respect to their linguistic and cultural competencies.
