Considering the specificities of education internationalization, the purpose of this paper is to present the concepts of active and passive internationalization and apply them to pertinent questions regarding student mobility. Initially mobility at a worldwide level will be discussed, considering data from the main countries which "import" and "export" students. Finally, the phenomenon among the Latin American countries will be placed as well. Results suggest that, limited to a few countries, active internationalization creates conditions favorable to the emergence of an hegemonic internationalization (DALE, 2004; and others). Such conditions contribute to the aggravation of what Boaventura de Sousa Santos (2002), António Teodoro (2003) and Roger Dale (2004) denominate as hegemonic globalization. In this context, the regional unbalances widen since there are great differences in the human capital received by central and peripheral countries. The sources of materials explored will be bibliographical and documentary. The documentary research will predominantly use research reports carried throughout a world-wide scope, with the support of multilateral institutions - Institut de Statistique (UNESCO, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003); International Institute will be Education (OCDE, 2007; 2006a; 2006b; 2005; 2004); Centre pour la Recherche et l'Innovation dans l'Enseignement (OCDE, 2004); Banque Mondial/OCDE (2004; 2005); International association of University (UNESCO, 2003). The selected data will be interpreted with the support of diversified bibliographical references.
University education; Internalization; Active internalization; Passive internalization
