The UK’s International Education Strategy 2026: Turning ambition into sustainable global leadership

Starting from a position of strength

The UK enters this next phase from a position of strength. As the strategy highlights, 17 UK universities are already ranked in the top 100 of the most recent QS World University Rankings. That concentration of globally recognised excellence underpins the UK’s competitiveness in international student recruitment, research collaboration and transnational education partnerships.

Our analysis, based on Global Student Flows data from HolonIQ by QS, suggests that UK international student enrolments are projected to grow by around 3.5 percent annually to 2030. Across the one million simulations run on the platform, the most common compound annual growth rate for Indian students coming to the UK by 2030 is 5.5 percent; for Nigerian students it is 4.6 percent, for Saudi Arabia it is 1.6 percent and for Vietnam it is 4.5 percent.

Yet forecasts alone do not determine outcomes. What matters just as much is perception, particularly whether the UK is seen as welcoming, safe and open to talent. Here, the signals are encouraging. Our International Student Survey shows that 81% of prospective students from India consider the UK a safe destination, 80% of Nigerian students view the UK as welcoming at a time when other countries such as the United States are pausing immigrant visas, and 73% of Vietnamese students are already aware of the quality of study opportunities available in the UK. Similarly, 76% of Indonesian students say the UK is becoming more welcoming, just one percentage point behind Australia.

Being perceived as a welcoming destination has consistently been shown to be one of the most important drivers of student choice. The strategy’s renewed emphasis on openness and reputation is therefore not only welcome, but also essential.

As anticipated, the involvement of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has resulted in a greater focus on soft power—especially days after the UK government launched the UK Soft Power Council.

International education builds influence in ways that few other sectors can, through long-term relationships, shared research, alumni networks and student-to-student connections that endure for decades.

This is where transnational education becomes central to the UK’s future strategy.

The power of transnational education

Around 28% of Indian students say they would be likely to study at a branch campus of their preferred overseas university if one were available in their home country. As the UK’s transnational campuses mature in India and elsewhere, that share is likely to rise.

But the future of transnational education will not be defined by branch campuses alone. In 2023 to 24, collaborative provision, including joint and dual degrees and other partnership models, already accounted for 42.8 percent of UK transnational education activity, compared with just 6.6 percent delivered through overseas campuses. These models are increasingly central to how UK institutions build scale, resilience and local relevance.

At QS, we see this shift first-hand. Beyond supporting almost every UK university that has announced a campus in India, we work with institutions to identify high-quality international partners, design joint and dual degree programmes, and build sustainable collaborative provision across Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Our rankings and analytics increasingly support universities in assessing institutional quality, research alignment and reputation when forming new international partnerships.

Our global convening platforms also play an important role. Forums such as the QS India Summit have become essential gatherings where university leaders, regulators and policymakers shape the next generation of transnational education projects. These dialogues matter because transnational education succeeds not through isolated investments, but through shared standards, regulatory alignment and long-term trust.

The strategy’s limited reference to China may also point to an emerging opportunity. Recent reforms announced by the Chinese government to modernise transnational education frameworks signal renewed openness to international collaboration. For UK institutions with strong research profiles and established reputations, this could mark an important new phase in UK-China educational partnerships, particularly in joint provision and collaborative degrees.

For the strategy to succeed, however, ambition must be matched by coordination.

The commitment to embed international education policy across the Cabinet Office, local government, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and the Home Office is critical. Too often in the past, immigration and regulatory policy has worked at cross purposes with the ambitions of the Department for Education and the Department for Business and Trade, limiting the UK’s ability to compete effectively.

This time, alignment across government will be decisive.

Both transnational education and in-person international student provision must continue to grow sustainably, ensuring strong student outcomes and preserving the quality that defines UK higher education.

This strategy provides an important framework for the next phase of the UK’s international education policy. Its impact will depend on how effectively it is implemented across departments and translated into a stable regulatory environment that enables UK education to realise its full potential as a global public good, a source of long-term influence, and a national asset.