When the West turns away, Asia opens its doors

For decades, students around the world have looked to the US, the UK, and wider Europe as leading destinations for higher education, with those travelling from China and India representing a large proportion.

The appeal is obvious; Western nations have been historically defined by world-leading universities, access to global networks, and as pathways into international careers, but that assumption may be starting to fade. Across the Western world, governments are tightening immigration rules and linking student mobility to political debates.

In the US, the administration is taking a stricter approach with international students, with claims they are taking university places and jobs from American students. The government is set to ban citizens, including international students, from more than 30 countries, and temporarily suspended new student visa interviews earlier this year. The restrictions have been imposed while realising that there will be a negative financial and reputation impact on the American higher education and, more broadly, the economy.

In the UK, the debate around immigration has turned international students into a political talking point. There, surprisingly, international students have been part of the immigration count. Under the promise to reduce net migration, as of January 2024, most international students can no longer bring family members to the UK, and recent anti-immigration protests don’t present a welcoming image. The financial impact of the substantial reduction in international students on the UK universities is severe, with the majority of universities facing deficits and attempting to reduce these by closing programs and laying off faculty and staff.

Even throughout Western Europe, attitudes towards international students are shifting. In 2024, the Dutch government proposed legislation aiming to reduce the number of international students and prioritising Dutch-language instruction for courses, for example.

Actions such as these create a perception of “you are not welcome to study in our country”.

While the West slowly pulls up its drawbridge, other regions are opening their gates wider than ever. Across Asia, governments are making bold, long-term investments to attract international students, recognising their potential for innovation and positive impact on economies.

Actions such as these create a perception of “you are not welcome to study in our country”

In Kazakhstan, the government has tripled its investment in education, and universities are expanding partnerships with institutions abroad. The minister of science and higher education, Sayasat Nurbek, has been leading this initiative, including by opening branch campuses of well-regarded foreign universities. A decade ago, the number of international students in Kazakhstan was incredibly small; at Nazarbayev University specifically, there were only four international students in 2014.

In 2024, international students made up 5% of our total population, a figure we are committed to growing in the coming years. Countrywide, Kazakhstan has reached record high numbers with more than 30,000 students from India, Russia, China, and beyond. The target is now 150,000 by 2029 which, despite sounding ambitious, reflects a real momentum and want for international students. Improvements in university rankings will assist in reaching this target.

In Southeast Asia, Malaysia previously set a target of 250,000 international students by end of 2025, and saw an almost 25% increase in applications from China between 2023 and 2024. And in the Middle East, Dubai aims for 50% of its university enrolment to be international by 2033, part of a growing global education hub in the region.

With social and political landscapes in the US and Europe changing, students will be looking beyond traditional destinations. Whether that be Central Asia, Southeast Asia, or the Middle East, Asian universities are increasingly offering world-class education in environments that celebrate international engagement rather than fear it.

Previously, some international partnerships between Western and Asian universities would follow a one-way model: Western universities establishing branch campuses without a long term commitment or investment in supporting the development of higher education in the host country. There are countries in the Middle East, for example, in which Western universities have closed campuses when financial expectations, amongst others metrics, were not met.

But that model is no longer sustainable. Institutions outside of Europe and North America are seeking partnerships built on mutual respect and shared benefit. Importantly, some of the most outstanding and dynamic universities globally are now in Asia, including Tsinghua, Peking, Tokyo, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and the National University of Singapore.

My own institution, Nazarbayev University, while very young, is now the leading research-intensive university in Central Asia and the Caucasus region, and enhancing its standing with each passing year. The authority once assumed by Western universities must now be earned through genuine reciprocity and collaboration, and in competition with the leading universities in Asia.

If governments throughout the Western world continue to view international students first as unwelcome migrants, rather than contributors to the strengths of their higher education, they risk losing a lot more than tuition fees; they isolate themselves from global knowledge, innovation, and societal improvement. For Asia, current Western sentiment presents an opportunity to demonstrate academic excellence and openness to students all around the world.

The future of higher education will not be defined by where a university sits on the map but by the contribution it makes to knowledge creation and talent development, the values it holds and networks it builds. As the West debates who should be allowed in, Asia is showing that inclusion is the most powerful strategy for a prosperous future.

A globally minded student will always look to where they are welcomed, valued and supported to excel. In our interconnected world of today, this could be Kuala Lumpur, Dubai, or Astana just as easily as London or New York.

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