The city of Santiago de Compostela is internationally recognised as the destination of the Catholic pilgrimage bearing the same name as the city. Santiago de Compostela is also an important academic centre, hosting several higher education institutions: a university and 9 schools. Nearly 30,000 students pursue an academic education in Santiago de Compostela, including 2,000 international students.

Santiago de Compostela relies on its rich history to build cooperation projects promoting international student mobility. The city is a member of the Compostela Group of Universities, which brings together 67 universities in 24 different countries. The aim of this group is to encourage to cooperate and to coordinate mobility and internationalisation initiatives between universities on the way of St James.

The municipality also awards a mobility grant to students wishing to take part in an international academic experience. In addition, the city council has set up a number of programmes and initiatives aimed at promoting intercultural and linguistic exchange. In particular, the city has set up a number of projects to enable international students to learn the Galician language and culture.