From knowledge transfer to graduate impact: a mediation analysis of an international scholarship programme

International scholarship programmes are widely expected to generate social and diplomatic benefits through student mobility, yet the mechanisms through which knowledge acquired through international higher education translates into such outcomes remain underexamined. This study investigates how knowledge transfer among alumni of Taiwan’s International Cooperation and Development Fund (ICDF) scholarship programme contributes to graduate impact, specifically social and diplomatic outcomes, through development pathways. Using survey data from 346 alumni across 44 countries, the study tests a mediation model linking knowledge transfer to social and perceived diplomatic impact through career satisfaction, professional growth, and social commitment. The findings reveal distinct mediation patterns. Knowledge transfer positively predicts all three developmental pathways. Professional growth and social commitment are associated with organisational and social impact, while career satisfaction selectively supports diplomatic outcomes. Social commitment fully mediates policy-related impact and partially mediates diplomatic effects. The results demonstrate that the social and diplomatic contributions of international higher education depend not only on educational investment but also on how graduates mobilise knowledge through evaluative, structural, and normative pathways.