Transnational education (TNE) is the delivery of degrees in a country other than where the awarding provider is based, i.e. students study wholly outside of the UK for a UK degree. It can include, but is not limited to, overseas campuses, distance learning, online provision, joint and dual degree programmes, double awards, 'fly-in' faculty, and mixed models, traditionally referred to as blended learning.
For further information on what we mean by ‘Transnational Education’, you can find our working definition here.
The total number of students studying through UK TNE varies from year to year as universities add or close online courses, open new campuses, and develop new partnerships.
Data about TNE is collected annually by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), via the Aggregate Offshore Record (AOR). AOR data has been collected since 2007−08 from publicly funded higher education providers in the UK who subscribe to HESA.
Note: Changes to transnational data for 2019–20
In 2018–19 and earlier years, the AOR included all publicly funded HE providers in the UK and the University of Buckingham. From 2019–20, coverage expanded to include all English providers registered with the Office for Students (OfS) in the Approved (fee cap) and Approved categories and all publicly funded HE providers in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Occasionally in our analysis, we disaggregate the data into two groups ‘All providers’ and ‘Excluding Oxford Brookes University’. In 2019–20, Oxford Brookes University made changes to the way in which they report students studying on the ACCA programme validated by Oxford Brookes University. This change has led to a reduction in the total number of students appearing in the AOR from 2019–20. We will therefore exclude Oxford Brookes University when analysing longitudinal trends.
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Note: Analysis excluding certain providers
UK degrees were delivered in over 230 countries and territories in 2021-22, more than ever before. UK TNE delivery was concentrated mainly in Asia, which accounted for around half of all student numbers. This was followed by the EU, the Middle East and Africa.
In 2021-22, China was the country hosting the most UK TNE students (72,205), followed by Malaysia (48,875), Sri Lanka (47,375), Singapore (29,800) and Egypt (24,545). The top five host territories accounted for 40.0% of all UK TNE student numbers.
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Students can pursue UK degrees across almost all subject areas at all levels of study through TNE, from first-time undergraduate degrees to research masters and PhDs. There are also a range of options for studying part-time, or full-time, depending on the needs of the student.
Undergraduate provision makes up a higher proportion of UK TNE student numbers than postgraduate provision. In 2021-22, the proportion of students at undergraduate and postgraduate level was around two thirds and one third, respectively.
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HESA collects data which relates to five categories or types of TNE provision and universities are responsible for returning data against these. The categories are broad, and universities may not always define their programmes by the same definitions used by HESA. Table 1 shows these categories and an example for each.
In 2021-22, 40.9% of UK TNE students studied through collaborative provision, 27.6% studied through distance, flexible or distributed learning, 24.7% were registered at an overseas partner organisation, and overseas campuses of UK universities accounted for 6.9% of the total UK TNE student population.
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160 higher education providers reported students studying through TNE in 2021-22. TNE is a core component of many universities’ strategic approach to international growth, but each institution’s approach is unique. TNE provision is driven by a range of local and international factors, and the success of UK universities in delivering TNE is testament to their flexibility and dynamism.
Successful TNE provision comes in many shapes, forms, and sizes, and each institution’s portfolio differs according to their needs and aspirations, from a handful of joint or dual degrees to a network of global campuses and partnerships. Successful TNE engagement can be resource-intensive but done well it delivers a wealth of positive outcomes for students, overseas partners, and the UK universities themselves. You can find out more about this in this insightful report from the British Council on the value of TNE.
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Note: Neither the Higher Education Statistics Agency Limited nor HESA Services Limited can accept responsibility for any inferences or conclusions derived by third parties from data or other information supplied by HESA Services.
