International student mobility (ISM) has significantly reshaped higher education, increasing the number of international students in Master’s and doctoral programmes (OECD, 2024). This phenomenon is driven by the globalisation of knowledge, university internationalisation policies, and the recognition of its academic, cultural, and economic benefits. Despite growing research on academic transitions, there remains a gap in understanding the experiences of international students at postgraduate levels.

The decision to study abroad at the postgraduate level is influenced by push-pull factors. According to Zhang et al. (2021), key pull factors include the academic reputation of destination universities, funding availability, and job prospects in the host country. Conversely, push factors are linked to limited research opportunities, precarious working conditions, and inadequate academic infrastructure in home countries. The interplay between these factors shapes both the choice of destination and students’ expectations of their postgraduate education.

A crucial element in transitioning to Master’s and doctoral studies is the development of academic identity and research skills. Phan (2023) highlights that this process is dynamic, shaped by interactions with academic communities, quality mentoring, and access to research networks. International students must adapt to new academic standards, which can create tensions when educational traditions differ significantly. Yang and Bai (2020) identify stressors such as academic pressure, language barriers, and social isolation, which students address through emotional regulation, support networks, and reframing their academic experiences. However, insufficient institutional support can worsen these challenges and impact retention rates. Usher and McCormack (2021) introduce the concept of ‘doctoral capital’—a combination of resources, skills, and networks that facilitate adaptation and success in a PhD. Accumulating doctoral capital serves as a protective factor against emotional exhaustion and the sense of precariousness many international doctoral students experience.

Universities play a crucial role in supporting international students' transitions from Master’s to PhD studies. Williams, Pereira, and Ogawa (2019) highlight strategies such as specialised mentoring, academic advising, and research training. Research by Asif, Jain, and Dolan (2024) on South Asian students in the U.S. suggests that cultural differences and communication barriers hinder academic integration. To address this, institutions should implement peer mentoring and intercultural dialogue programmes. The transition from Master’s to doctorate is closely linked to employment prospects and ISM. Studies on international doctoral employability (Teelken et al., 2023; Lopes & Hancock, 2024) show that doctoral internationalisation enhances job opportunities in academia and industry. However, mobility and employment outcomes vary by discipline and country of origin. In this regard, Spain is a relevant case study examining how internationalisation policies influence doctoral transitions and post-graduation employment opportunities.

This transition involves significant challenges in terms of academic, social and professional adaptation, which need to be understood in depth to improve the experience and success of these students. This contribution presents some results of the PID2023-147669OB-100 and REDICE24-3682 projects, which aim to analyse and understand the transitions and trajectories they face during the thesis writing stages, as well as the factors that influence their academic success and the construction of their professional identity. Given that there are post-mobility projects for international students linked to the doctorate, the research aims to deepen our knowledge of the challenges faced by this group (cultural, linguistic or academic differences) and what impact this may have on a more permanent mobility project. Also, the project wants to identify the factors that influence their adaptation, satisfaction and academic success, to design institutional strategies that favour the integration, permanence and development of their research and professional identity in the context of internationalisation of higher education.

This objective enables a comprehensive approach that integrates both the experience of international mobility in Master's studies and the academic trajectories and challenges faced by doctoral students. By adopting this perspective, the study provides a nuanced understanding of transition processes in higher education. Given the complementary nature of the methodology, a mixed-methods design has been adopted to effectively address the research objectives. Specifically, this contribution presents macro-level data on international students enrolled in various master's degree and PhD programmes at the University of Barcelona, with a particular focus on students from underrepresented regions that have received less attention in the existing literature. To achieve this, the study leverages official institutional data from the University of Barcelona, covering cohorts from 2017 to 2025. This dataset includes information on students who completed a Master's degree and subsequently pursued doctoral studies, offering valuable insights into their academic trajectories and transition experiences. The quantitative phase of the study employs an adapted version of the Sociocultural Adaptation Scale (SCAS) by Ward and Kennedy (1999), incorporating an expanded academic dimension with a total of 13 items (Schartner & Young, 2020). This adaptation allows for a more comprehensive assessment of international students' integration into the academic environment, capturing key challenges related to coursework, institutional expectations, and research engagement. The SCAS provides a structured framework to measure sociocultural and academic adaptation, offering valuable insights into students' experiences in higher education mobility. For the qualitative phase, the study employs autobiographical narrative interviews with former Master's students who completed their degrees at least three years ago. This time frame ensures that participants have had sufficient post-mobility experience to reflect on the long-term impact of international education on their career development. The selection criteria specifically target individuals who, after completing their Master's studies, continued their academic trajectory by enrolling in a doctoral programme. This sub-sample allows for an in-depth exploration of how mobility shapes professional identities and influences decisions regarding further academic engagement. By integrating quantitative survey data with qualitative personal narratives, the study aims to provide a holistic perspective on the transition from Master's to doctoral studies among international students. The findings will contribute to a deeper understanding of how international mobility fosters career development, offering evidence to enhance institutional policies and support mechanisms for postgraduate students in higher education.

At the time of writing this communication, the data collected through the questionnaires and interviews is not yet available. The data on the study population provided by the institution itself, for the cohorts 2018-19 to 2022-23, is as follows: 4,447 international students enrolled at the University of Barcelona, representing 26% of the total. Except for the drop during the pandemic (2020-21), when international enrolment fell to 558, the number of students has progressively increased to 998 enrolled in official master's degrees. In the doctorate, 1,498 international students were registered in the five-year period analysed (14.5%), of which 237 continued their training at the same university. The expected results of the study seek to understand the academic and professional transitions of international students in master's and doctoral programmes. It is hoped to identify the key factors that influence their adaptation and satisfaction, considering academic, sociocultural and professional dimensions. The quantitative analysis will allow us to observe the evolution of international enrolment, continuity in doctoral studies and post-master's mobility trends. The rate of students continuing to a doctorate is expected to be relatively low, which justifies the need to study the barriers in this transition. The qualitative analysis will explore their motivations, challenges and adaptation strategies, providing a deeper perspective on the impact of mobility on their trajectories. In terms of conclusions, we hope to demonstrate that international postgraduate mobility is not a homogenous process but varies according to geographical origin, disciplinary field and institutional support. We expect to confirm that a lack of mentoring and linguistic and cultural barriers hinder doctoral integration. Finally, the findings will be used to design policies of internationalisation that favour the academic and professional continuity of international students in a globalised context.

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