The Sustainable Development Goals call for a “substantial increase” of international scholarships. However, the links between international student mobility and sustainable development remain unclear. By examining the perceived outcomes of a closed higher education scholarship program, this study explores the ways that alumni perceive their contributions to the development of their home countries of Ghana and Nigeria. Findings indicate that scholarship alumni from Ghana and Nigeria value and advocate for education as a mechanism for social change and view both formal and informal education as significant mechanisms for development. Specifically, Ghanaian and Nigerian alumni noted two discrete ways that education leads to social change: (1) university teaching and (2) citizenship, voter, and human rights education. This research aims to contribute to literature about the influence of scholarship program alumni on their home countries and to contribute to understanding of international higher education’s role in the sustainable development agenda.