Abstract
Academic mobility is an established mechanism for student professional and personal development, yet its psychological dimension remains under addressed in institutional practice, particularly in Central Asian higher education contexts. This paper examines the state of psychological support for mobile students at Kazakhstani universities, using institutional data from Sh. Yessenov Caspian University of Technology and Engineering (2021–2025) as its empirical anchor. To achieve this, a mixed-methods design was employed, combining descriptive analysis of institutional mobility records with a systematic thematic review of literature and policy documents published between 2020 and 2025. Findings document a consistent growth in mobility participation, from 79 internal inbound students in the second semester of 2021–2022 to over 200 external outbound students in 2023–2024, alongside a persisting absence of dedicated psychological support infrastructure for mobile students. Based on the reviewed literature, students engaged in outbound exchanges, primarily with partner institutions in Uzbekistan, Russia, and Poland, are likely to encounter challenges including cultural adjustment stress, academic system transition difficulties, and reintegration difficulties on return; these psychological challenges are inferred from existing scholarship rather than measured directly through primary student-level data. These challenges are compounded by a shortage of intercultural counselors, a reactive rather than preventive service model, and cultural stigma around mental health help-seeking in the Kazakhstani social context. The paper proposes an integrative framework for embedding psychological support across all phases of the mobility cycle, pre-departure, in-mobility, and post-return, and offers context-specific recommendations grounded in international best practices.