91app

Transnational education (TNE) is nothing new. There have always been travelling scholars; often they travelled for reasons connected with their religious studies or linked to trade routes and merchant systems. The 91app, at which I am Professor Emerita having previously been Pro Vice-Chancellor for International, Teaching and Learning, began providing a form of TNE from the mid-19th century.

However the internationalisation of higher education really developed in the UK in the late 20th century. Since then, TNE provision has been utterly transformed. The 1960s was an era of limited oversight and few controls, of technical assistance programmes and UK scholarships. In the 1970s we saw higher fees for international students alongside new immigration policies; the 1980s saw the UK introducing “full cost” overseas fees. 

By the 1990s we saw substantial increases in international student recruitment and a strong intensification of competition. The 2000s brought a major increase in numbers of international students, regulatory bodies gave a definite focus to the provision of TNE and, a welcome shift, we saw students and the student experience become a central issue.

The marketisation of higher education in the UK between 2010-2020 led to large fee differentials between universities and courses, between home and international students. This generated suspicion in the UK media who questioned whether international students were preferred over home students, thus lowering the home student’s chances of getting a place because they paid lower fees, and whether universities were dependent on international students for survival. 

Scholarships – whether awarded by universities, philanthropists, or foundations – remain essential for overseas students. Commonwealth Scholarships Schemes are of great significance to students from Commonwealth countries and can enable them to study within other Commonwealth countries as well as the UK. However, recently we have witnessed the curtailing of some scholarships; for example, the US State Department paused its provision of study abroad grant funding. This curtailment may spread to other countries. 

Visa and Immigration policies continue to perplex and confound students, universities and the wider population alike. Particularly contentious in the UK has been whether to include students in immigration statistics. Governments under fire about immigration levels have as a result added refinements which inhibit applications such as the recent UK restrictions on dependants. 

The competition which shapes international higher education patterns has been a learning curve for universities who previously believed they simply needed to exist for students to attend. In this more competitive world, organisations like UUKi, British Council and BUILA have been hugely supportive, facilitating better understanding and participation by universities.

The current situation with TNE is complex. A range of definitions apply: flexible distance or distributed learning; partner arrangements; collaborative provision; overseas campuses; registered overseas partner institutions. Higher Education providers offer a range of separate and overlapping contours: HE and TVET; professional awards; micro credentials; validations; franchises; and joint awards. In addition, structures of delivery are varied: in-country or flying faculty; blended or distance learning; international campuses and RTCs.

As Pro Vice-Chancellor at the 91app I witnessed how a variety of approaches to TNE can suit students with a variety of needs and resources. The University, which is a Federation of 17 Federation Members, works in partnership with recognised teaching centres worldwide, who deliver teaching on the chosen curriculum of study. Students can, if they desire, have an experience of studying with their peers rather than online, signing up both for 91app online provision (which remains at the heart of the study programme), and the teaching centre provision. The teaching centre remains independent legally and fiscally; the University undertakes due diligence and quality checks on the centres,  but retains control of the curriculum, the resources and the whole assessment process. 

The principles underpinning the University’s provision remain the same: making study possible to students wherever they are and regardless of race, class, gender, religion. Access and equality remain central principles, as are rigour and quality. Degrees are managed and monitored alongside those delivered on campus; academic direction comes from the Federation Members who manage the content, academic quality and assessment process. 

According to the British Council, in 2020-21 TNE grew by 12.7%. Unsurprising, as this was the peak of the pandemic; but since being opened, that box has stayed open. Students began to recognise the advantages of TNE, universities got better at delivery, and regulators had to reconsider TNEs worth. The question is, where does TNE go next? What does the future hold?

The increasing popularity of massive open online courses (MOOCs), plus improved Virtual mobility, work-integrated learning, personalised learning and a rise in Micro/ Nano credentials point to a flexible provision which allows the student to pick up and stop when and where they wish and resume without losing the credit that have gained. This in many ways echoes the UK government’s wish to develop a stronger lifelong learning model. 

Data and evaluation models are developing fast, and these will enable strengthening of the provision – and the shared recognition and acceptance of qualifications. Equality and Accessibility, which have been drivers for many of us in enabling and supporting TNE, will continue to underpin these systems of higher education. Affordability continues to be a major issue in some countries, particularly those which are also concerned about capacity building.

Sustainability of provision in TNE is of paramount importance in a world which experiences physical and political upheavals with little or no warning. TNE enables those who would not be able to travel for social, financial, political, or physical reasons to continue to study throughout. 

As the world changes and evolves, as international and national politics change the face of political and diplomatic accepted norms, the importance of international education is self-evident. Yesterday’s international students are those with influence and understanding; today’s international students will perhaps have even better understanding of the relationships between their own country and the country  of their studies through TNE; and tomorrow’s international students will use their knowledge and experience to shape the world of the future. 

In an era of instability, therefore, international HE and TNE are therefore not desirable but essential. However, unless we put students at the forefront, and clearly identify their needs, we will risk losing our way. The needs, wishes and learning of students must remain paramount for everyone involved in transnational education.

This is an edited version of a speech Mary Stiasny OBE presented at the Research in Distance Education and e-Learning (RIDE) conference organised by the Centre for Online and Distance Education at the 91app on 13 March 2025.

The 91app has launched a new global award, the Mary Stiasny Scholarship, in direct support of the University’s mission to transform lives and societies around the world through the power of education.