Asian stakeholders see fresh opportunities in UK’s new IES
Released on January 20, the strategy departs from its 2019 target of 30% growth in international students by 2030 to an ambition to grow yearly education exports. The new IES focusses on the “full breadth of the sector”, including TNE, English language training, and edtech.
With key recruitment markets, such as India and China, name-checked in the revamped strategy as major markets for transnational education partnerships, experts see the IES as crucial to fast-tracking institutional and government partnerships in higher education with the UK.
“UK-China education partnerships will continue to grow and may be at faster speed under the UK international education strategy,” Charles Sun, founder and managing director of China Education International, told The PIE News.
UK-China education partnerships will continue to grow and may be at faster speed under the UK international education strategy
Charles Sun, China Education International
As it seeks to grow TNE enrolments from 800,000 to eight million, China has approved a record number of TNE projects, including joint programs and joint institutes, in the past year, while easing restrictions such as the 1,200-student enrolment cap. UK universities account for nearly one in five of the 122 projects approved in the latest round.
“The IES positions China as a ‘strategic important market’. China is a mature TNE market and is considered the most important market by many countries,” Sun added.
The strategy also highlights the strong potential for overseas expansion by UK universities, citing the University of Southampton’s Delhi campus, which became India’s first fully fledged UK branch campus in August 2025.
Beyond Southampton, eight other UK universities are in the process of establishing branch campuses across major Indian cities including Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Noida and GIFT City. The expansion into India is seen as central to India-UK relations, a point underscored during UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s October 2025 visit to promote the “historic” trade deal between the two countries.
According to Rahul Choudaha, professor and chief operating officer (COO) at the University of Aberdeen Mumbai – the first Scottish university to establish a campus in India, set to open in September – the new UK strategy aligns closely with India’s National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which promotes internationalisation models that offer Indian students more affordable pathways to “global learning”.
“As the report notes, transnational education is designed to be a sustainable alternative to traditional student mobility while broadening access to high-quality UK provision,” said Choudaha.
While not explicitly named as a priority market in the strategy, Sri Lanka is expected to play a key role in the IES, with the country widely seen as one of the largest hosts of UK TNE students. Around 50 UK universities have partnerships in Sri Lanka, a figure that has grown by 104% since 2019/20.
According to Thilina Rajapaksa, a consultant in education, edtech and international recruitment in Sri Lanka, the country is already a “top-tier” UK TNE market, with the IES likely to shift partnerships from “simply adding more programs to deeper, higher-trust models with stronger oversight, joint delivery and clearer outcomes”. At the same time, competition is intensifying as countries such as India open up their higher education models.
“Sri Lanka cannot rely on legacy strength alone. We will need to offer UK partners something more compelling such as speed, regulatory clarity, quality assurance, and strong local partner capability, while we watch how the India dynamic reshapes UK university priorities,” said Rajapaksa.
“Near-term growth in Sri Lanka is also about geographic diversification. With 33+ UK TNE operations concentrated in Colombo and increasingly saturated, the next frontier is expanding into underserved regions with consistent standards.”
Sri Lanka cannot rely on legacy strength alone. We will need to offer UK partners something more compelling
Thilina Rajapaska, education consultant
With the IES also emphasising “sustainable” levels of international student recruitment, aligning with the government’s broader aim to reduce net migration set out in last year’s immigration white paper, Disha Gupta, associate regional director for recruitment in South Asia and MENA, Birmingham City University said the tide is already shifting in regions such as South Asia.
“Sustainable recruitment is about long-term engagement in markets, investing in excellent customer service, robust compliance, tight agent management, and better-defined student support,” stated Gupta.
“In South Asia, our focus includes looking at long-term viability and student outcomes rather than just enrolment numbers.”
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