Rajika Bhandari: Internationalization of Higher Education

Rajika Bhandari is an international education expert, author, and founder of Rajika Bhandari Advisors which offers strategic guidance to universities, nonprofits, and mission-driven companies. With over 25 years of experience, she previously led the research, evaluation, and thought leadership portfolio at the Institute of International Education (IIE) for over a decade. Dr. Bhandari is the author of America Calling: A Foreign Student in a Country of Possibility, a memoir exploring the international student and Indian immigrant experience in the U.S.; the host of the World Wise podcast on education, culture, and migration; and is the Co-Founder of SouthAsia-IEN, the South Asia International Education Network. She was recently awarded NAFSA’s inaugural 2025 Hudzik Prize for Sustained Leadership in Higher Education Internationalization.

A Personal Beginning

You’ve built your career at the crossroads of education, culture, and policy. Looking back, what was the pivotal moment or experience during your early years as an international student that set you on the path to working in global education?

RB: My early exposure to thinking about education in a global context was through international development, which I began to learn about after arriving in the U.S. in the early nineties as an international student. I was studying psychology, but my interests soon veered towards broader ideas of global inequities. Coming from a country like India, with its stark economic disparities, I was perhaps already primed to explore these issues. My research began to focus on women and education, particularly in India and China, and how educating women and girls should be central to the developmental and progress goals of any society. Many years later, this overall interest in global education would transition into the sub-field we now call international higher education or internationalization.

Defining Education Beyond Borders

Your work often emphasizes education as a tool for diplomacy and human connection. How do you think the role of education in building international bridges has evolved over the years, particularly between India and the U.S.?

RB: Higher education has connected India and the U.S. for a few centuries, since the 1800s when Anandibai Joshi, a young woman from Maharashtra, traveled to study at what is now Drexel University in Pennsylvania, to 1909 when Tagore’s son, Rathindranath, graduated from the University of Illinois. At the India end, IIT Kanpur was established in 1959 with the assistance of the Kanpur Indo-American Programme (KIAP), a consortium of nine US research universities including MIT, that were instrumental in helping shape a newly independent India that was focused on nation-building and developing its scientific and technological capacity. Since then, both countries have seen the flow of thousands of students and scholars and the exchange of knowledge—India has the largest Fulbright program in the world, a testament to the importance of educational exchanges between the two countries.

The Journey Between Cultures & the Values that Drive You

As someone who has navigated multiple cultures, both personally and professionally, how has that shaped your approach to policy work and the ways you think about educational mobility today? What core values or principles continue to guide you through all these different roles, especially when it comes to advancing educational opportunities globally?

RB: A lot of the discourse and practice of educational mobility tends to be dominated by theories, approaches and notions from the West or the Global North. One of my biggest learnings is that to establish long-term and sustainable educational ties, we need to forge relationships that are truly equal and mutually beneficial and not just one-sided, as can often happen. Countries like India—which are part of the Global South—have as much to offer to an overall understanding of higher education and educational mobility as do countries like the U.S., U.K., Canada and others in the Global North. The other learning for me has been that of authenticity. When our work straddles the world, we have to learn how to embrace and champion our multifaceted, hyphenated personalities. For me personally, that means showing up in a professional space as both an Indian and an American, and as someone who is part of the broader Indian diaspora in the U.S.

Building Connections Through Education

In your experience, what’s one particularly memorable interaction or collaboration that affirmed the power of education in building stronger international ties? How did that experience impact your views on U.S.-India educational partnerships?

RB: I am always struck by the profound and generational impact that U.S.-India educational ties can have. Back in India, almost every other person has a child, a parent, a grandparent, a sibling, a friend, a boss, or someone personally known to them who was educated in the U.S. One person’s educational experience in the U.S. has a ripple effect on future generations of Indians. Which is why an overseas education is perhaps the best tool for soft diplomacy and building people-to-people mutual understanding

Looking Ahead

When thinking about the future of U.S.-India higher education collaborations, what excites you the most? Are there particular shifts or opportunities that you think will define this partnership in the next decade? What key insights or actionable strategies are you most looking forward to being discussed by the panelists that could drive global progress and enhance the academic landscapes of both nations?

RB: I see a few ways in which we can continue to advance U.S.-India relations in higher education. One is to move beyond the singular focus on student mobility—which can often be the main interest and motive of American universities who are eager to recruit Indian students—and instead look for ways to build deeper and sustained relationships with the education sector in India. The second challenge that also presents an opportunity is how to get more U.S. students, faculty, and institutions engaged in India. India’s new National Education Policy (NEP) emphasizes higher education internationalization and has opened to door to further global engagement. Finally, we need multisector solutions, where industry and the corporate sector sees as much value to advancing higher education partnerships between the U.S. and India, as do universities and the governments of both countries.