What is AIMS?
The Asian International Mobility for Students (AIMS) Programme is SEAMEO RIHED’s regional initiative to support the mobility of students and enhance cooperation in higher education among countries in Asia. Connecting governments, universities and students, the AIMS Programme provides a multilateral platform for academic exchange and collaboration to strengthen regional integration and community building. It provides students with opportunities to study abroad within selected disciplines and advance their learning and intercultural skills as confident global citizens.
Programme Objectives
The objectives of the AIMS Programme are to create a dynamic platform to promote the mobility of students and enrich their global competence as well as contribute to the internationalisation of higher education in the region of Southeast Asia and beyond. In promoting the intra-regional exchange, the AIMS Programme also nurtures a regional identity and connectivity to bring the region towards the integrated community.
Benefits
Region
The AIMS Programme strengthens regional integration and community-building by facilitating multilateral cooperation and enhancing connectivity in higher education in Southeast Asia and beyond.
Universities
AIMS supports internationalisation and provides member universities with a platform to share experiences, promote mutual collaboration and strengthen the provision of international academic programmes.
Students
AIMS students gain exposure to diverse cultural environments and nurture their competence and confidence as well-rounded global citizens to help them navigate their future academic and professional careers.
A unique structure
In the region, past efforts to promote mobility focused on bilateral agreement and arrangement between universities. Benefits were therefore limited to individual participating universities and their students. SEAMEO RIHED initiated the AIMS Programme as a way to overcome this limitation by providing a multilateral and inclusive platform that allows for dialogue between governments and universities to enhance student mobility. Explore more about how the AIMS Programme is managed here.
Who can take part
The AIMS Programme provides a diverse network of members with an inclusive platform for mutual development and collaboration. Currently, there are 10 Member Countries and 87 universities participating in the Programme. You can find out more about our current and participating AIMS members and extensive network, here. Alternatively, you can learn more about how students and universities can get involved in the AIMS Programme here.
AIMS Milestones
The AIMS Programme was launched in 2010 by SEAMEO RIHED as a pilot project involving the participation of Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand. With growing regional interest, the AIMS Programme has undergone a significant expansion over the past decade and now offers undergraduate students a semester-long exchange in one of the disciplines offered among 87 universities across 10 Member Countries. Discover more about the history and milestones of the AIMS Programme here.