Under the agreement, Shorelight will recruit for degree programs and “attract a diverse range of students” for Heriot-Watt’s Global College, which offers programs in the UK, Dubai and Malaysia.

The Global College – launched last year – offers pathway programs at foundation and pre-masters’ levels into the university’s degree programs.

“We are looking forward to working with Shorelight and building on their expertise and global network of leading higher education experts,” said Lucy Everest, Heriot-Watt’s global chief operating officer.

“Their exclusive technology and service platform will enable us to further grow international recruitment and enrolment rates.”

“Their exclusive technology and service platform will enable us to further grow international recruitment”

The institution’s ambition is to “provide inclusive access to higher education with innovative student support models that enhance student learning and success outcomes”, Everest added.

Chief executive officer of the US company – which has a market presence in over 200 countries and features more than 7,000 “distribution points” across agencies, schools, and counsellors – is “thrilled” to be partnering with Heriot-Watt and the Global College.

“We say our mission at Shorelight is to help educate the world – and our partnership with Heriot-Watt is another step on that ambitious journey,” said CEO and co-founder, Tom Dretler.

Executive dean of Global College, Anna Fenge, added that the partnership is “an important step forward in achieving our goal of providing an outstanding education to an even more diverse range of students from all over the world”.

Everest previously spoke to The PIE about the new Dubai campus and scaling up the institution’s distance learning provision.

Currently, some 27,000 students from 160 countries study at Heriot-Watt. The partnership with Heriot-Watt University is Shorelight’s only one in the UK.