A lot has been said about the importance of internationalisation and transnational education (TNE), which in the UK context can be defined as UK degree programs delivered in countries outside of the UK.

As somebody who has been involved in internationalisation for many years, I have noticed the growing interest in TNE across the globe. In my current role at the Department for Business and Trade, I engage with UK organisations wanting to expand overseas and with international providers seeking UK partners. While this has always been something that many providers were keen on, the recent pandemic has triggered a new wave of interest.

As you will recall, many countries restricted movement or closed their borders, effectively preventing students from leaving their home region. To help, providers with overseas provision uses their TNE links to offer teaching options before students were able to return to the UK.

TNE is big business. In 2021, it was worth £27.9 billion in the UK – an increase of 6.23% since 2020 in current prices (£26.2bn in 2020). And UK revenue from higher education-related exports activity in 2021 was 77.9% of the total value.

Over the past decade, TNE has become an important strand of universities’ international activities and one that makes a significant contribution to the economy. In 2021, the income generated from UK higher education TNE activity was estimated to be £2.4bn, an increase of 123.9% in current prices since 2010.

The importance of TNE is recognised in the UK government’s international education strategy, which identifies five priority countries: India, Indonesia, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia and Vietnam, with a vision to establish long-term sustainable partnerships across these markets. We also have second-tier markets, including Brazil, Mexico, Pakistan, Europe, China and Hong Kong.

Some of them have mature and well-established TNE provision while others are new to the concept or growing their in-country TNE provision.

The UK is a world leader in TNE. In 2021/22, 162 providers reported students studying through TNE – more than ever before. Over half a million students were studying on UK TNE programmes in the same period, marking a 9% rise on the year before.

As a practitioner, I’ve noticed an emerging trend that more UK universities are moving away from the model of having many small-scale partnerships to fewer, more strategic collaborations, aiming to better facilitate multi-level engagement within TNE. This allows providers to do more with less and focuses reduced resources on core strategic activities.

Put another way, it is easier to grow smaller numbers of strategic partnerships than to expand high numbers of smaller ones. Expansion might include staff and student exchanges and mobilities, summer schools, joint projects, joint research and academic contributions, joint research bids, online international learning and so on.

So, what are the key benefits of TNE partnerships? They add economic and reputational value to both partners, so it is essential that any collaboration is developed in a strategic and sustainable way in line with institutional capabilities and organisational values. This way, they will make a significant contribution to the educational, research and cultural environment of their host countries.

TNE partnerships enrich teaching and offer access to the UK curriculum. In most cases, this curriculum has been contextualised to recognise the needs of the host country, the local society and the local partner. This way, students fit into their society and do not need to seek that fit abroad, and this allows local universities to keep their talented youth at home. If brain drain is a problem, TNE can be a response to it.

TNE programmes attract students who are keen on foreign degrees, yet are unable to go abroad for cultural, personal or financial reasons. Essentially, studying in their home country tends to be more affordable and many students can combine studies with part-time work or other personal or family responsibilities.

It is also worth flagging up the language abilities – given that most TNE programmes are offered in English, this means that upon successful completion students are very proficient, if not fluent, in that language.

When we talk about future workforce, we tend to think about students. But I personally would drop the word “future” as many students are already engaged in some forms of employment either before they enrol, or during their studies. When they graduate, students receive UK qualifications that are recognised worldwide and as part of their studies they develop global mindsets. That’s where we start seeing additional impact on workforce. For example, there is evidence suggesting that students with foreign qualifications are more attractive to local employers and seen as more employable.

It is also important to remember about staff involved in TNE provision. TNE partnerships offer an opportunity to build staff capacity and expand their skillsets, set up and expand research and development, foster knowledge exchange, enhance academic quality and so on. Institutions working in partnership with UK providers are often multicultural. They’re like a melting pot, embracing cultural diversity and sensitivity. This allows staff and students to grow their mindsets and expand their horizons, and in terms of hard returns, it enriches the brand and often attracts new academic and commercial deals.

From the national level, TNE partnerships fit into regional economic and education development plans. They tend to attract international students who are happy to travel within the region but do not wish or are unable to go further afield. They also tend to attract international staff keen to be part of a TNE venture.

In that sense, TNE partnerships can be seen as the way to internationalise national HE sectors, individual institutions and their curriculum. Those institutions benefit financially, culturally and academically from the international environment that they are able to create through TNE efforts. Some of these staff and students may chose to stay in the region for longer, strengthening the local workforce and contributing to the local economy.

It is essential that any collaboration is developed in a strategic and sustainable way in line with institutional capabilities and organisational values

Whether we like it or not, competition across the sector is intensifying and all universities compete these days on a global scale – students vote with their feet and study wherever they want and can afford. I therefore believe that all universities should diversify and be proactive even in markets where they have a strong presence.

Rather than a threat, I believe that internationalisation and expansion overseas should be seen as an opportunity that does not need to be done alone. In the UK, we have a fantastic example of Lancaster University partnering with the Australian Deakin University to open a campus in Indonesia, where each partner brought to the table complementary knowledge and expertise. The same approach could work for other institutions in other markets.

While TNE cannot be seen as a substitute to international student recruitment and should meet strategic objectives of each provider, when successfully set up it can provide a wide range of long-term benefits to all partners and wider stakeholders. It can also provide students with a truly life changing opportunities. Just ask your alumni.