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Record number of UK higher education providers report students studying through transnational education
A new report from Universities UK International finds that 156 UK higher education providers have reported students studying through transnational education (TNE) in the 2019-20 academic year, which is the highest figure to date.
The fifth in UUKi’s annual series, The scale of UK higher education transnational education report provides snapshot and longitudinal analysis of where, at what level, and through what type of provision TNE students studied.
453,390 students were studying on UK TNE programmes in 2019-20, compared with 538,615 on-shore international students in the UK during the same year.
Excluding Oxford Brookes University, in 2019−20 there were 449,690 students studying UK TNE programmes, which is an increase of 43,030 (+10.6%) on the previous year.
The report finds that in 2019−20, 50.3% of TNE students were hosted in Asia. China was the country hosting the most TNE students (49,800, 11.0% of the global total), followed by Malaysia (49,375, 10.9%), and Sri Lanka (30,825, 6.8%).
It also highlights that students registered with an overseas partner organisation are prevalent in the Middle East (41.8% of the regional total), while most students in overseas campuses are found in Asia (63.2% of the global total).
New headcount categories collected by HESA from providers in England and Wales show that in 2019–20, the vast majority of students (c.90%) were continuing study or had successfully completed their course, with a minority being dormant or having withdrawn from their course.
Recent research also suggests that students may be attracted to TNE because of its quality and the career opportunities it opens. UUKi published a report examining the outcomes of TNE graduates in the United Arab Emirates which found that: 84% of graduates expressed high or very high satisfaction with their teaching and learning experience; more than 80% reported that they made use of most of their skills, knowledge, and competencies in their jobs; and over half felt they improved their career prospects with employers in the UAE and abroad.
This report, now in its fifth edition, has become a powerful means to assess of the breadth and depth of UK transnational education across the globe. A majority of UK universities now undertake some form of TNE and we are glad to see cross-government support for this form of education as shown in the International Education Strategy and international education initiatives in the devolved nations.
Eduardo Ramos
Head of Transnational Education, UUKi
Notes
- The full report can be read on the UUKi website here: https://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/universities-uk-international/insights-and-publications/uuki-publications/scale-uk-higher-education-transnational-6
- Historically Oxford Brookes University has accounted for over a third of all TNE students. In 2019–20 Oxford Brookes changed their reporting practices, resulting in a decrease of 213,425 students reflected in the AOR (–32.0%).
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UUKi has recently published a report examining the outcomes of TNE graduates in the United Arab Emirates: https://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/universities-uk-international/insights-and-publications/uuki-publications/transnational-graduate-outcomes-case
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UUKi will hold a TNE conference in November: https://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/latest/events/transnational-education-conference-2021-0
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Universities UK International (UUKi) represents UK higher education institutions (HEIs) globally and helps them flourish internationally. To do this we actively promote UK HEIs abroad, provide trusted information for and about them, and create new opportunities through our unique ability to act at sector level. We draw on UK university expertise to influence policy in the UK and overseas, delivering information, advice and guidance to facilitate mutually beneficial collaboration between UK HEIs and a broad range of international partners.
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