The University of East London and Malvern House have signed a partnership deal to deliver a range of pre-degree pathway courses for international students.
Developers expect 4,000 international students to benefit from these courses over the next decade, with the first cohort beginning in September 2018.
Malvern House, a London-based language and pathway college with sister colleges in Malaysia and Singapore, will deliver courses at UEL’s Docklands campus.
The classes will initially prepare students to study at undergraduate level in the university, but UEL plans to introduce master’s programs in 2019.
“The Malvern House brand has widespread appeal in South East Asia, a region of real strategic importance to UEL”
Mohsin Ramzan, UEL’s head of international recruitment, said the development of the university’s first pathway program for international students represents the next stage in the strategic development of UEL’s international capability and reach.
Malvern House’s branding in South East Asia was a crucial part of the agreement, according to Ramzan.
“The Malvern House brand has widespread appeal in South East Asia, a region of real strategic importance to UEL. We are confident that this partnership will provide UEL with a competitive advantage over other UK providers and their embedded partners.”
Sam Malafeh, CEO of Malvern International, added: “Malvern House is pleased to be part of this life-changing initiative to enable students to reach their goal of enrolling in a university degree. It will achieve this by delivering high-quality English language support and a carefully crafted International Foundation Program.”
He said the tailored support is expected to benefit over 4,000 students in the next 10 years.
“It will also enable Malvern to establish a strong long-term partnership with UEL in London, contributing to the Malvern’s strategic intention to be a Centre of Excellence,” Malafeh added.
To progress on to a degree program, students must pass four core modules.
In addition to the full foundation course, Malvern House and UEL are working together to provide ESL courses to pre-undergraduate and pre-master’s students.
International student numbers are already increasing at the university after it more than doubled its intake of international undergraduate students for the 2017-18 academic year, according to UEL.