Earlier this week, the UK government released its refreshed international education strategy (IES). While some stakeholders have welcomed its ambitions to grow education exports to £40 billion per year by 2030, others have dubbed it an export strategy rather than a roadmap for international education and raised important questions about the plan’s purpose and long-term direction.
“The strategy puts sustainable international student recruitment at its heart, and we look forward to continuing to take a lead on working with the government to deliver this,” said Andrew Bird, chair of the British Universities International Association (BUILA).
Unlike the 2019 international education strategy, the UK government’s latest iteration removes explicit targets for international student numbers. This marks a notable shift from the earlier strategy, which aimed for a 30% increase in international student enrolments by 2030.
Bird said the strategy recognises the power of international education to “enhance the UK’s global standing and drive growth” and was pleased to see the government’s recognition of the Agent Quality Framework to drive improved standards in international student recruitment.
Rob Grimshaw, CEO at StudyIn also welcomed the government’s strong support for the AQF noting that “high standards in student recruitment are vital to the long-term success of the UK’s higher education sector.”
“For the UK to remain globally competitive, we must continue to make a compelling case for studying here – not just in terms of quality, but also trust, outcomes and student experience,” said Grimshaw.
Mark Bennett, VP of research and insight at Keystone Education Group lauded the government’s strategy in its ability to articulate “an evolving vision for UK international education that, if successful, genuinely could see more people around the world benefit from the courses and resources offered by UK universities”.
The strategy states the £40bn aim will be achieved across the “full breadth of the sector”, including TNE, English language training (ELT), and edtech, while broadly referencing existing trade missions, soft power networks and boosting financial support mechanisms.
The IES sets out an intention to grow the government’s leadership in TNE, as well as using the joint government-sector forum, the Education Sector Action Group (ESAG), to champion partnership opportunities and educating providers on the technical risks of operating overseas.
The government’s new international education strategy sets out that each ESAG representative will lead on an action plan, published within the first 100 days of appointment to ESAG, outlining how their members will support delivery.
Bennett highlighted the ways in which TNE expands access to international education, particularly for students unable to afford travel and study abroad. He also noted its appeal to countries seeking to retain more of their students – and graduates – at home.
“And, of course, it appeals to anyone who would like international students to show up in figures for enrolments, but not immigration,” he added.
However, Bennett raised that for some universities not already operating in the TNE space, what does it mean to have a strategy that refuses to give a target for traditional onshore enrolment?
“if you ask me, it means the strategy can be called a success whether those enrolments rise by one or fall by 100,000 – and that’s important. Not everyone does TNE and TNE is not so easy to start doing,” he said.
The new international education strategy is, in reality, an education export strategy
Vincenzo Raimo, international higher education consultant
Meanwhile, Vincenzo Raimo, international higher education consultant, puts it bluntly: “The new international education strategy is, in reality, an education export strategy.
“There’s nothing wrong with that, but calling it an international education strategy risks obscuring what’s missing: a serious commitment to languages, outward mobility and the development of the UK’s own international capabilities in a way that equips people to understand the world, work across cultures, and thrive within it.”
The PIE News’s own Nicholas Cuthbert notes in his analysis that the Home Office features only minimally in the strategy. He argues that excluding the Home Office from the ESAG risks repeating a familiar mistake: a disconnect between immigration policy and the UK’s education export ambitions.
Elsewhere, Universites UK International director Jamie Arrowsmith described the strategy as an “important moment” for the sector and welcomed the “renewed commitment to fostering the global reach, reputation and impact of UK universities”.
“The strategy reflects many of the priorities we set out in our Blueprint for Change, and represents a positive and holistic vision of the role universities play in the UK’s global success,” he said.
