University student achievements and international mobility: The case of University of Cagliari

Abstract

We investigate if Erasmus mobility has a positive impact on the career of students. The focus is on  graduation bonus, the difference between the final degree grade and the base degree score computed before graduation, that depends from the average mark obtained at the exams. Observing students graduated at the university of Cagliari, Italy, graduation bonus is modeled as a function of other student-specific variables concerning characteristics of students, academic performance and international mobility. The statistical analysis is framed within the case-control studies and utilizes model averaging to obtain robust results. The same approach is used to evaluate the effectiveness of different Erasmus programs through post-hoc tests. Results document the effect of international mobility on the graduation bonus is context-specific as it depends on the faculty and the type of degree a student is enrolled. Moreover, the positive effect of international mobility is more evident for the Erasmus Studio program.