The UK chancellor has announced a number of initiatives to help British universities expand overseas. These include an online portal, HE Global, launching in Jan. And Osborne promised a “vehicle” to help the education sector, government and business work together in selling British education abroad. Most of the UK was commiserating this week after Chancellor, George Osborne, told the country it faced spending cuts up until 2016/17 to clear its deficit — but universities had a reason to be cheerful.
Following a reallocation of funds the chancellor announced the launch of HE Global, an online portal providing advice to British universities on expanding overseas. Launching in January 2012, it will corral the support of the UKTI, UK Export Finance and the British Council among other bodies.
Osborne also promised a “vehicle” to help the education sector, government and business work together in selling British education abroad.
Paul Marshall, executive director of the 1994 Group of smaller research-intensive universities, said, “Given the right conditions, UK universities intend to expand their international activities over the next decade and beyond. The announcement that government will launch HE Global is a positive step in this regard.”
For British universities, exporting education through branch campuses is gaining in appeal given the government's plans to slash international student visas by 250,000 in the next three years. Only days ago, HE sector representatives in the UK
criticised the government's lack of support for their internationalisation efforts.
However, it's unlikely this will compensate for the revenue expected to be lost through the visa changes. According to
Universities UK, the international activities of universities contributed around £8.3bn to the UK economy in 2010, more than half of which (£4.5 billion) came from the spending of students and their families once in the UK.
Most of the UK was commiserating this week after Chancellor, George Osborne, told the country it faced spending cuts up until 2016/17 to clear its deficit — but universities had a reason to be cheerful.
Following a reallocation of funds the chancellor announced the launch of HE Global, an online portal providing advice to British universities on expanding overseas. Launching in January 2012, it will corral the support of the UKTI, UK Export Finance and the British Council among other bodies.
Osborne also promised a “vehicle” to help the education sector, government and business work together in selling British education abroad.
Paul Marshall, executive director of the 1994 Group of smaller research-intensive universities, said, “Given the right conditions, UK universities intend to expand their international activities over the next decade and beyond. The announcement that government will launch HE Global is a positive step in this regard.”
For British universities, exporting education through branch campuses is gaining in appeal given the government’s plans to slash international student visas by 250,000 in the next three years. Only days ago, HE sector representatives in the UK criticised the government’s lack of support for their internationalisation efforts.
However, it’s unlikely this will compensate for the revenue expected to be lost through the visa changes. According to Universities UK, the international activities of universities contributed around £8.3bn to the UK economy in 2010, more than half of which (£4.5 billion) came from the spending of students and their families once in the UK.
