Poor overseas courses ‘bad for business’, warns English regulator

Poor-quality courses taught by universities overseas are “bad for business”, the English higher education regulator has warned as it outlined its powers to investigate increasingly popular transnational education degrees.

In a new report, the Office for Students said students living overseas now account for 16 per cent of all those registered at English universities and colleges.

As such, it said transnational education (TNE) courses make an “important contribution” to the sector’s reputation – but only if their quality is high.

“If the education or student experience offered on a particular course is seen as substandard, this potentially affects perceptions of all English TNE courses,” it said. “Leaving poor quality courses unchallenged is ultimately bad for business.”

A Times Higher Education analysis – using figures from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (Hesa) – previously showed that about 533,000 TNE students were registered at UK institutions in 2021-22, up 9 per cent on the year before.

Recent figures also showed that the vast majority of UK transnational students are from outside the European Union, with China, Malaysia and Sri Lanka accounting for 31 per cent of the total between them.

Jean Arnold, OfS director of quality, said transnational activities and education exports generated £25.6 billion for the UK economy in 2020 and more institutions are seeing TNE as a component of their plans to diversify and grow their income.

“Our regulatory remit is not limited to students located in England,” she added. “It is important that students studying outside the UK are confident that their course is of the same high quality as would be the case if they were studying in England.”

The regulator said it can investigate when appropriate and will use its regulatory powers to act in the interests of students if it finds problems with the quality or standards of courses.

Following meetings with seven English universities, the OfS has outlined what it sees as the four elements of effective practice of TNE:

• A rigorous selection process for overseas partner institutions
• Robust quality assurance and management of partnerships
• Enabling student engagement in the quality of courses
• Improving the delivery of online, distance and blended learning

Universities also spoke to the regulator about the challenges they faced, such as subcontracting by overseas partner institutions making it more difficult to oversee all aspects of teaching, and issues relating to consumer rights for students living overseas.

“Transnational education is a vital and thriving part of our higher education sector,” said Ms Arnold. “By underlining that it is robustly regulated to ensure quality we intend to maintain and enhance the reputation of English higher education at home and across the world.”

patrick.jack@timeshighereducation.com