Governance News Alert: The UK’s International Education Strategy: Excellence in Education, Partnerships for Growth

The updated strategy forms part of the government’s Plan for Change which aims to kick start national renewal by increasing exports, supporting skilled employment and broadening access to high‑quality education provision. It is “co-owned” by the Foreign Office, the Department for Education and the Department for Business and Trade, and headed up by the reappointed international education champion Professor Sir Steve Smith, the former Vice-Chancellor of Exeter University. The previous international strategy was published in 2019.

The full strategy document can be found here. 

At-a-glance:

• The strategy is built on three ambitions: increasing the UK’s national standing through education; sustainably recruiting high-quality international students; and growing education exports to hit £40 billion a year by 2030 (p6)
• Institutions are encouraged to diversify their recruitment, reducing reliance on any single country. Institutions should recruit international students in a way that maintains quality and student experience, including considering factors such as skills and entry requirements, adequate infrastructure, local housing, and support systems (p37)
• The international student levy on English higher education providers of £925 per international student per year of study, will be introduced in 2028/29. On a more positive note, the Graduate Route, that enables international higher education students to remain in the UK for up to 18 months after graduating, will be maintained (p38)
• A reformed, ministerially chaired Education Sector Action Group (ESAG) will bring together industry, government, and representative bodies from across education. Each representative will write an action plan outlining how their members will support delivery of the ambitions in the strategy (p14)
• A new £54 million Global Talent Fund is aimed at attracting world‑class researchers and their teams to the UK (p26)
• Erasmus+ will be available to UK students from 2027. The Turing Scheme is also giving British students opportunities to gain global experiences. Temporary exchanges between the UK and other countries via the Temporary Work – Government Authorised Exchange (GAE) visa will continue to be supported (p28)
• “Government leadership” in Transnational Education (TNE) will grow, working closely with the sector and the British Council to deepen international partnerships and remove barriers (p21)
• Education exports currently generate £32.3 billion per year for the UK economy. Higher education accounts for £23.7 billion (p45)
• More than 730,000 international students study in UK institutions and over 620,000 students across 188 countries and territories are registered with UK HE providers overseas. In 2022, total transnational education (TNE) exports reached £3 billion across all sectors, a 30 per cent increase from the previous year (p17)
• The government and UK overseas networks, including diplomats, the British Council and trade commissioners, will promote UK education and research and development (p18)

Implications for governance:

Education is one of the UK’s most successful exports with the lion’s share of the £32.3 billion per year it generates coming from the higher education sector.  

International student recruitment is a key plank in the financial fortunes of many institutions. Falling overseas student numbers at some UK universities in the last few years have had a significant impact on balance sheets, as governing boards will know.

The chapters in the strategy on international student recruitment concentrate on the importance of the soft power aspect of international alumni and of providing overseas students with a high quality student experience and “world-class outcomes”. 

Unlike in the 2019 strategy, there is no international student number target. Instead, the report emphasises “well-managed and responsible recruitment” and the need to diversify to protect against reliance on any one country. It also “encourages” sector‑led initiatives such as the Agent Quality Framework (AQF) to help tackle the risk of poor practices in recruitment.

In recent years institutions have increasingly focused on diversifying markets and on the particular needs of the overseas student demographic. The strategy mentions “support systems, adequate infrastructure and access to local housing”, and governors may want to consider if the structures, polices and processes are in place to maximise support for different groups of overseas students in these areas.

The strategy, which is described as “bold” in the government press release that accompanies the document, promises “government leadership” on TNE, but does not explain what this might look like, beyond outlining the revamped Education Sector Action Group and diplomatic ambitions to promote UK education abroad.

Official figures show that TNE – where overseas students complete all or part of their studies towards a UK qualification in their own country -- is a growth area and increasing numbers of institutions are investing in or considering international branch campuses and other forms of partnerships. 

A number of case studies featured in the strategy may provide interesting reading, including the University of London, the UK’s largest provider of international distance and online learning, and Southampton University, which last year became the first UK institution to open a campus in India. 

Governors will no doubt be aware from historical cases that international projects give rise to many challenges. The report says the government will “continue to monitor and ensure that UK institutions deliver the highest quality of TNE provision” and “raise awareness of the legal, financial and security risks of operating overseas”. UK institutions need to “understand their role in managing these risks”.

The prominent work of the British Council is highlighted throughout the strategy, most notably in the expansion of TNE provision across every part of the sector, not just higher education. 

The International Student Levy is covered in a chapter called “Maintaining a competitive offer”. The strategy points to the benefits the levy will bring to home students through maintenance grants, but there is no discussion of the rise in international fees that the levy may necessitate, and the implications this may have for overseas recruitment. 

Professor Malcolm Press CBE, President of Universities UK, said the strategy signalled “a renewed commitment to fostering the global reach, reputation and impact of our universities, and recognises the huge benefits this delivers to our global partners and to communities across the whole of the UK”.