UK International Education Strategy 2026: Opportunities and Challenges for Higher Education

The new UK international education strategy explained

The UK government has recently published its International Education Strategy, replacing that of the previous government from 2019, which was very much focused on expanding the number of international students travelling to the UK to study.

We are now in a different political environment and the strategy seeks to avoid discussion of international student numbers in favour of focusing on sustainable recruitment and high-quality students. Instead of focusing on increasing international student numbers, the emphasis is now on sustainable recruitment, high-quality students, and expanding UK education overseas.

Many institutions will be looking at new international opportunities as part of their approach to dealing with current challenges and future growth opportunities and the International Education Strategy offers some pointers about how government plans to help.

Below, we break down the key ambitions, practical implications, and what institutions should consider next.

 What are the government’s main ambitions?

The strategy sets out three main ambitions:

1. Increasing the UK’s international standing

The strategy aims to increase the UK’s international standing through education and make the UK the global partner of choice at every stage of learning. This includes:

• leveraging the UK’s diplomatic network
• growing transnational education (TNE)
• championing research and technology partnerships
• extending student mobility opportunities

2. Sustainable international student recruitment

The ambition here is that the UK will continue, sustainably, to recruit high-quality international students from a diverse range of countries. Whilst the aim is to continue to promote the UK as a preferred destination for study and research, the key constraint here is the need for all of this to align with the government’s broader immigration and skills agenda.

3. Growing education exports

On this front we have a bold ambition to grow education exports to £40 billion per year by 2030. This will be supported by:

• the International Education Champion
• promotion of the UK education offering through various channels
• supporting institutions through finance advice and practical support to overcome any barriers

What are the opportunities for institutions?

The strategy sets out a number of areas where it believes there are real opportunities for UK higher education to expand activities internationally. Although these are closely linked to the export growth agenda the reality is that in many cases, they are opportunities which require a great deal of energy, time and effort to prosecute and should not therefore be entered into lightly nor for the principal purpose of generating surplus.

The opportunities set out cover the following seven areas:

• Research, science, technology and innovation
• Student mobility
• Tackling global education challenges through partnership activities
• Establishing UK qualifications as the global benchmark
• International student recruitment.
• Transnational education

There is a bit more to be said about the final area here.

Transnational education opportunities

“Global demand for TNE is growing rapidly. UK provision has expanded significantly in recent years, and in higher education alone over half a million students are studying for UK qualifications outside the UK.This presents a major opportunity to deepen our international partnerships and extend the reach of UK education.”

The government says that it will work with various parties, including regulators and quality assurance bodies, to “remove barriers to sustainable TNE growth” while at the same time raising awareness of all the significant risks associated with such activity and ensuring everyone understands their role in managing these. But such activity is costly and time-consuming. It requires a long-term commitment to partnerships in other countries and cannot be undertaken lightly. There are many, many positives with TNE but our experience at Shakespeare Martineau has shown us that such arrangements, while delivering real value, can be far from straightforward to pursue.

Government support for international growth

However, there are many ways that government plans to help institutions deliver on their international growth ambitions:

• A reformed Education Sector Action Group to bring together key players from HE, government and industry.
• Cross-departmental working in government plus the existing overseas network of Missions, Trade Commissioners and education advisors and support from the British Council.
• The International Education Champion, Professor Steve Smith, who continues to do a sterling job supporting activity in target countries.
• Finance tools and business support.
• Marketing campaigns and international events.

Some key challenges and risks

Whilst there are some positives in what is certainly clear and ambitious strategy there are some areas of concern that institutions need to consider.

TNE is not primarily a revenue generator

Although there are many varieties, ranging from full-service overseas branch campuses to joint degrees to other collaborative provision, TNE is simply not first and foremost a money maker. Whilst it is possible to generate a surplus from some activities, viewing this as the principal rationale is mot necessarily in the best interest of students, partners or indeed long-term sustainability.

Regulatory alignment

The strategy contains not one mention of the principal higher education regulator in England., Although this is perhaps understandable, given that this is UK-wide strategy, for English institutions the OfS regulatory framework exercise significant control over all provision, whether in this country or overseas.

Free speech and academic freedom

The focus of the OfS in recent times has very much been on these issues (again neither term appears in the strategy) and particularly on the potential limitations on both, which may be applied by different legislative and regulatory frameworks in countries where institutions are conducting TNE. The tone of the messaging from the OfS on these matters could not in any way be described as being aligned with this Strategy.

China’s role

Attitudes to China and students from China, which continues to be one of the UK’s most important markets, are often contradictory. The OfS has identified significant concerns with the influence of state actors on Chinses students studying in the UK, whilst the strategy does identify the continuing strategic importance of China.

Student recruitment messaging

The messages around ‘sustainable’ international student recruitment are unclear. It very much seems that we do want to continue to attract high quality international students, but at the same time there is an underlying anxiety here about how this plays into the broader contested narrative in relation to immigration. Even though students, by definition if not official recording methodology, are not immigrants. Therefore, there is an expectation that the HE sector will do more to address poor student recruitment practices, including where agents are involved.

These challenges highlight the need for joined up thinking between government, regulators, and institutions to ensure the strategy can be implemented effectively.

Conclusion – a strategy with promise and complexity

There is a lot in the new strategy therefore and a good deal for the higher education sector to work with. There are some real positives in here in terms of the recognition of the key role played by universities and other HE institutions in driving international export growth but some overstatements of TNE possibilities and avoidance of some of the contradictions which emerge when you look to grow international student presence in the UK whilst simultaneously seeking to deter those considering coming to the UK. Regulatory systems, whether related to immigration, academic quality assurance or free speech do need to align with the planned strategy otherwise implementation will be a good deal more difficult.

What should institutions do now?

Institutions should review the key messages in the new strategy thoroughly. There will be much in here which already accords with institutions’ own international strategies, but some adjustments may be required.

Further consideration of the tensions between some of the government’s growth ambitions and the realities of regulatory pressures will undoubtedly be required.

However, perhaps most important, is to establish the routes to taking full advantage of the support outlined to help universities and colleges deliver their international growth ambitions.

How we can help

At Shakespeare Martineau we have a good deal of experience in advising clients on the strategic opportunities and challenges of TNE and in supporting the establishment and delivery of partnership activity in Asia and Europe.

If you’d like to explore TNE opportunities or understand the implications of the strategy, our education team can provide guidance.