One of the unique features of AIMS is that it offers exchange opportunities to students within specific disciplines. Among other benefits brought by the exchange, students are able to advance their study or research through acquiring academic knowledge and skills relevant to their fields of study at leading universities in the region.

Currently, the AIMS Programme promotes mobility in the following 10 disciplines. These disciplines are mutually agreed by Member Countries as either common areas of focus or strategic areas for the region’s development.

In 2021, in order to enhance mobility and explore cross-disciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches, the AIMS Steering Committee agreed to merge the three disciplines of Biodiversity, Marine Science, and Environmental Management and Science.