This chapter covers strategies and programmes that operate UK-wide as well as policy information specific to England.

The international education sector is important to the UK economy; education-related exports and transnational education (TNE) activity generated almost £20bn for the UK economy in 2016. The International Education Strategy: global potential, global growth, published in March 2019, sets an ambition to increase the value of UK education exports to £35 billion and to increase the number of international students to 600,000, both by 2030. It sets out a number of actions to support the sector to deliver these ambitions, including:

• appointing an ‘International Education Champion’ to spearhead overseas activity, develop nternational partnerships and tackle challenges
• ensuring that the ‘Education is GREAT’ campaign promotes the breath and diversity of the UK education offer – from early years through to higher education - more fully to international audiences
• providing a welcoming environment for international students and developing an increasingly competitive offer through, for example, considering where visa processes could be improved, supporting employment, and ensuring existing and prospective students feel welcome.

The strategy also commits to improve the accuracy and coverage of annual education exports data.

Erasmus+ is the European Union (EU) umbrella programme, running from 2014 to 2020, which brings together programmes for education, training, youth and sport to promote international mobility and partnerships. In the UK, it is managed by the UK National Agency, a partnership between the British Council and Ecorys UK (see below), and overseen by the Department for Education (DfE).

Note: Following the 2016 UK referendum on its membership of the European Union, the UK is due to leave the EU on 31 January 2020. The Withdrawal Agreement ensures that UK entities’ right to participate in EU programmes – such as Erasmus+ – would be unaffected by the UK’s withdrawal from the EU until the current programmes end in 2020, and for the lifetime of individual projects. In the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal, the Government’s guarantee will cover the payment of awards to UK applicants for all successful Erasmus+ bids for the lifetime of those projects. Successful bids are those that are approved directly by the European Commission or by the UK National Agency and ratified by the European Commission. Further information is available via the Erasmus+ Brexit webpage.

The UK participates in the Bologna Process. The Bologna Process is a European-wide initiative focused on the modernisation and internationalisation of higher education and enhancement of student employability abroad. It aims to establish more comparable, compatible and coherent systems of higher education in Europe and, in 2010, led to the establishment of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA).

The UK Strategy for Outward Student Mobility (2017-20) is the second strategy of its kind. Launched by Universities UK International (UUKi) (see below), it aims to double the percentage of UK-domiciled full-time, first degree students who undertake an international placement as part of their higher education programme by 2020. It sets out the following six objectives:

• promoting the benefits of study and work abroad
• monitoring trends in student mobility
• building capacity in UK higher education to facilitate outward mobility
• sharing best practice in UK higher education
• providing a collective voice for UK higher education
• influencing government for UK higher education.

A key outcome of the first UK Strategy for Outward Mobility (2013-17) was the Go International website, which includes research on the benefits of mobility and mobility data and trends among UK participants. In 2017, the Government endorsed the launch of the Go International: Stand Out Campaign.

In terms of inward mobility, there are a number of opportunities to study in the UK. In 2017/18, there were 2.3 million students in total at UK higher education institutions (HEIs) and, of these, 458,490 (almost 20%) were international students: 139,150 EU-domiciled students (around 6% of total student numbers), and 319,340 non-EU students (13.6% of total student numbers).

The UK Government facilitates study in the UK through various scholarship schemes and bilateral programmes, including:

• Chevening – a global scholarship programme, initiated in 1983, offered in over 160 countries and funded by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office and partner organisations
• UKIERI – the UK–India Education and Research Initiative
• the Newton Fund – focused on building science capacity in partner countries
• the UK-US Fulbright educational exchange programme
• several scholarship programmes for citizens of Commonwealth countries, delivered by the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in the UK.

The UK also has a number of bilateral relationships developed through agreements. These include Memoranda of Understanding with other countries, with the aim of increasing and enhancing partnerships across all levels of education, as highlighted in the article on ‘Bilateral Agreements and Worldwide Cooperation’.

Key bodies supporting mobility and internationalisation 

The Department for International Trade (DIT) promotes UK exports and inward investments, including providing information for international students about studying in the UK through its ‘GREAT Britain and Northern Ireland campaign’.

The Department for International Development (DFID) leads the UK’s work to end extreme poverty. It is involved in many bilateral and multilateral projects around the world which focus on strengthening global peace, tackling poverty and improving the quality of education. It also funds a number of programmes aimed at including a global dimension in school curricula and encouraging UK teacher mobility abroad.

The British Council, along with Ecorys UK, acts as the UK National Agency for Erasmus+. It is an international organisation for cultural relationships and educational opportunities, which supports and encourages student mobility across the globe, and helps schools in different countries connect to strengthen teaching and learning and improve students’ global awareness.

Ecorys UK, which forms the UK National Agency for Erasmus+ along with the British Council, leads the communications strategy designed to maximize awareness and the impact of the Erasmus+ programme across the UK. It is a European research and consultancy company, which delivers support services to organisations accessing funding specifically for vocational education and training (VET) and adult education.

Universities UK International (UUKi) is the international arm of Universities UK (UUK), a major representative body for the higher education sector. UUKi works to support the development and sustainability of the UK higher education sector’s influence and competitiveness within Europe and internationally.

HEGlobal is a joint initiative between UUKi and the British Council to empower higher education institutions to undertake and expand their overseas transnational education (TNE) activity. It aims to help and support development of good practice in TNE delivery and provides signposting to expert advice, guidance and intelligence from partner organisations.

The UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) is the UK’s advisory body for international students and those working with them.

The Association of UK Higher Education European Officers (HEURO) provides a platform for both academic and administrative staff involved in European issues in UK higher and further education to discuss and promote matters of common interest and to disseminate good practice.

The Association of Commonwealth Universities is an international organisation which has over 500 member institutions in 50 countries across the Commonwealth. It delivers Commonwealth scholarship programmes, which are funded by the UK and other Commonwealth Governments.

The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) monitors and advises on standards and quality in the UK higher education sector. The QAA also works to ensure that academic standards in internationally delivered UK higher education (transnational education, TNE) are maintained, and aims to maximise its influence on international quality assurance developments. The QAA published guidance in 2015 for UK higher education providers on supporting international students studying in the UK and providing an inclusive environment for them.

The British Universities International Liaison Association (BUILA) acts as a source of support for university international offices, who in turn focus on recruiting non-UK students.

The Association of Colleges (AoC) is the representative body for further education (FE) colleges. Through its international team, the AoC promotes, supports and represents UK colleges’ international activities and helps international partners and students.

The Independent Schools Council (ISC) brings together seven associations of independent schools, their heads, bursars and governors. One of the ISC’s priorities is to protect and promote the sector’s interests in recruiting overseas pupils.

Mobility and internationalisation in the curriculum 

The curriculum framework for schools in England (the national curriculum) sets out minimum content, but allows schools the freedom to develop their whole curriculum to reflect their particular needs and circumstances. Most curriculum subjects provide opportunities to include a global dimension if schools wish.

Higher education institutions are autonomous bodies and are free to decide which subjects and which combinations of subjects to offer, and how to incorporate the global dimension.

Article last reviewed November 2019.