Campus Head and Programme Lead, Imran Mir, explores what the UK’s International Education Strategy means for belonging and leadership.
If international growth stretches institutional culture rather than strengthening it, something has gone wrong.
The UK Government’s International Education Strategy sets out an ambition to grow education exports and strengthen the UK’s global education presence. Education is seen as one of the UK’s most successful service exports, and it contributes over £30 billion annually to the economy. The strategy highlights the importance of sustainable recruitment, diversification of source countries and the continued expansion of transnational education.
These ambitions from the Government are clear.
Less explicit, but equally important, are the leadership implications.
How do institutions ensure that international growth strengthens student belonging and institutional culture rather than placing them under strain?
Recruitment is only the beginning
Public commentary on the strategy has often focused on recruitment targets and market diversification. That is understandable. Recent fluctuations in international enrolment have exposed the financial vulnerability that can arise from overreliance on particular regions.
However, recruitment is the initial stage of internationalisation.
For many international students who are studying in the UK this will involve a major academic and cultural transition. They will need to adjust to differences in assessment expectations, classroom norms, academic standards and communication styles will require international students to adapt. Students can also face barriers in relation to visa requirements, housing challenges and financial pressures.
Research which has been conducted across the UK higher education sector has consistently shown that a strong sense of belonging is associated with higher engagement, improved wellbeing and it also increases the likelihood of a student continuing. Advance HE and other sector bodies have highlighted belonging as a key factor when it comes to student success.
Belonging is therefore not an abstract aspiration. It is closely linked to student experience and outcomes.
The leadership question is not simply how many students are recruited, but whether institutions are structurally prepared to support them effectively.
Growth without infrastructure carries risk
The International Education Strategy has acknowledged how important quality, sustainability and infrastructure are when it comes to delivering growth.
In practice, rapid expansion can outpace institutional capacity.
Changes in international enrolment can increase the workload of academic staff, student services, visa advisory teams, wellbeing provision and local accommodation markets. Where planning is reactive instead of strategic, pressure may be absorbed unevenly which can increase the burden on many staff members.
Students who come from different educational backgrounds could face transition challenges. Staff could take on additional pastoral, administrative or intercultural labour which is not always formally recognised.
These dynamics are not necessarily inevitable, but they are foreseeable.
Sustainable internationalisation would require leaders to take into consideration the amount of capacity, resilience and long-term institutional health alongside how much revenue is going to be generated.
Transnational education: opportunity and complexity
Transnational education is identified within the strategy as a growing component of the UK’s global education footprint. UK transnational education enrolments have increased in recent years, reflecting expanded partnerships and overseas delivery models.
Transnational education offers important opportunities. It can widen access to UK qualifications, deepen global partnerships and support institutional collaboration.
It also introduces complexity.
It will be essential to maintain academic standards across jurisdictions, managing partnership governance, aligning quality assurance processes and ensuring that staff are being supported when working across different regulatory and cultural contexts which are demanding leadership tasks.
These are not solely operational issues. They will require careful supervision, transparent governance and inclusive leadership in order to make it work.
Research on psychological safety suggests that individuals are more likely to speak up when they feel safe from negative consequences. Open cultures support better decision making and risk management. In geographically dispersed and culturally diverse teams, this cannot be assumed. It must be intentionally cultivated.
Financial policy and institutional narrative
The Government has proposed an International Student Levy to be introduced in 2028/29, which would require English higher education providers to pay a flat fee of £925 per international student per year of study to support maintenance grants and domestic student funding. While the long-term sector impact will depend on implementation and legislation, such measures influence institutional financial modelling and pricing decisions.
This invites important leadership reflection.
How clearly are institutions communicating the value proposition to international students?
How visible is investment in student support, community building and academic quality?
How are governing bodies assured that financial decisions align with educational mission and student experience?
In a political context where international students can become part of wider public debate about migration and economic policy, institutional narratives matter. Leaders have a responsibility to articulate internationalisation as an educational partnership rather than solely an export transaction.
From export logic to community logic
The Government’s framing of education as a major export sector is economically accurate. However, universities are communities of learning.
If growth becomes disconnected from belonging, institutions may face higher attrition, widening attainment gaps, staff fatigue and reputational risk.
When growth is aligned with inclusive curriculum design, well supported transitions, peer mentoring, intercultural development and staff investment, internationalisation can enrich institutional culture.
The strategy sets a national direction. Institutional leaders determine how that direction is realised locally.
A leadership question
Internationalisation is shaped by leadership choices.
The core test is simple.
Does international growth strengthen your academic community, or stretch it beyond capacity?
As institutions respond to the UK’s International Education Strategy, the most important question may not be how to expand, but how to expand responsibly, sustainably and inclusively.
How is your institution ensuring that international growth translates into genuine belonging and long-term institutional resilience?
Imran Mir is Campus Head and Programme Lead at Apex College and a Senior Fellow of Advance HE. He specialises in inclusive leadership, curriculum innovation and institutional development, with a focus on belonging, neurodiversity and sustainable growth in higher education.
