UK universities have a long history of educating students from around the world.  But in an era of globalisation, it has become increasingly recognised that the role of universities is to prepare all its students to succeed in a world where goods, services, labour and capital move freely across borders.  This presentation explores the ways that UK universities are increasingly placing internationalisation at the heart of their curriculum and the importance of having an internationally diverse student body to achieving this goal.

1. International students and the
internationalisation of UK universities
Professor Nigel Healey
Pro-Vice-Chancellor (International)
4 March 2016
The British Association of Independent
Schools with International Students

2. Overview
• International students and UK higher education
• International students: the global picture
• Why have international students at all? What is the core
mission of a university and how international students fit in?
• A perspective from Nottingham Trent University
• Putting internationalisation at the heart of the university
2

3. Undergraduate student enrolments
3
2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15
UK 1,673,655 1,713,310 1,698,040 1,702,610 1,577,440 1,528,715 1,495,750
Other EU 73,375 77,465 80,320 83,090 79,455 78,845 78,345
Non-EU 112,215 123,940 134,220 142,440 146,945 152,355 153,745
Total 1,859,240 1,914,715 1,912,580 1,928,140 1,803,840 1,759,915 1,727,895
Source: HESA

4. Postgraduate student enrolments
4
2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15
UK 353,430 374,310 375,030 358,800 337,575 335,140 333,445
Other EU 44,285 47,580 49,795 49,465 45,835 46,455 46,230
Non-EU 139,100 156,820 163,890 160,245 153,025 157,840 158,265
Total 536,815 578,705 588,720 568,505 536,440 539,435 538,180
Source: HESA

5. International enrolments as % of total
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0.0%
5.0%
10.0%
15.0%
20.0%
25.0%
30.0%
35.0%
40.0%
2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15
Postgraduate Undergraduate Total
Source: HESA

6. International student mobility: the global
picture (1)
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0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
4.5
5
1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2011 2012
Source: OECD Education at a Glance 2014

7. International student mobility: the global
picture (2)
7
1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2013
Internationally-
mobile students (m) 1.1 1.1 1.3 1.7 2.1 3.0 4.1 4.5
Global tertiary
enrolments (m) 51.2 60.3 68.7 81.7 99.9 139.0 181.7 198.6
Internationally
mobile as % total 2.1% 1.8% 1.9% 2.1% 2.1% 2.2% 2.3% 2.3%

8. Percentage of foreign students enrolled by
country of destination
8Source: OECD Education at a Glance 2015
United States 19%
United Kingdom 10%
Australia 6%
France 6%Germany 5%
Russian Federation²
3%
Japan 3%
Canada¹ 3%
China² 2%
Italy² 2%
Austria 2%
Netherlands 2%
Saudi Arabia² 2%
Spain 1%
Korea² 1%
Turkey² 1%
Other OECD
countries 10%
Other non-OECD
countries 20%

9. International students as % of total
enrolments
9Source: OECD Education at a Glance 2015
0.0
5.0
10.0
15.0
20.0
25.0
30.0
35.0
40.0
45.0
50.0

10. The elephant in the room: tier 4 visas
10

11. …and our competitors are keen to attract and
retain foreign students as skilled immigrants
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Land mass
km2
Population
2013
Pop./km2
2013
Australia 7,692,024 23,731,044 3.1
Canada 9,984,670 35,853,719 3.6
New Zealand 270,467 4,558,981 16.8
United Kingdom 242,910 64,105,700 262.0
United States 9,826,675 320,313,888 32.6
Source: United Nations

12. Why have international students at all?
• Grow/diversify revenue?
• Attract the world’s brightest
minds?
• Build a global brand?
• These are secondary
objectives
• What is the core mission of
a university?
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13. What is the core mission of a university?
13

14. …and where do international students fit in?
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15. A perspective from NTU
• Our core mission is:
– To prepare (all) our students to become highly employable global
citizens
– To enhance the quality and relevance of our research
• In a globalised world, the internationalisation of the
university is pivotal to fulfilling this mission
15

16. NTU will prepare its students to become highly
employable global citizens by:
1. Internationalisation of the curriculum
2. International teaching partnerships
3. International student recruitment
4. International student experience and support
5. Internationalisation of the faculty
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Internationalisation

17. Internationalisation: how it fits together
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An international
learning experience
= highly employable
global citizens
Globally-
connected
research
Internationalised
curriculum
International
student
recruitment
International
teaching
partnerships
International
student support Internationally-
oriented staff

18. 1. Internationalisation of the curriculum
• Showcase and celebrate internationalism
• Embed international or comparative content throughout
courses
• Provide at least one “international learning experience”
during a student’s course
• Promote outbound mobility (of all types)
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19. 19
NTU Global Week
29 February –
4 March 2016

20. 20

21. Chinese New Year Gala 2016
21

22. International learning experiences
22
Internships
Projects
Languages
Exchange
Volunteering

23. Promoting outbound mobility
Global
employability
Outbound
mobility
Widening
participation
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University
scholarships
External
scholarships
International
partners

24. Sichuan University, July 2015
24

25. 2. International teaching partnerships
• Build teaching partnerships with peer institutions to:
– Promote student, staff and knowledge exchange
– Provide structured opportunity for deep student exchanges
– Develop joint degrees that each partner could not offer alone
– Build NTU’s profile in key countries (to support recruitment)
25
vs

26. Examples of joint/dual degrees
26
BA International Relations 1+1+1
LLB European Law 2+1
MSc Management 1+1
LLB 3+1+1

27. 3. International student recruitment
• Limitations of Marketing 101: more $ is not necessarily better
• Tension between sales volume and:
– Margin (tuition net of commission and scholarships)
– ‘Quality’ in English language
– ‘Quality’ in academic entry standards
– Level of academic support required
– Diversity (where students come from and what they study)
• International student recruitment bedevilled by:
– Principal-agent issues
– Prisoner’s dilemma issues (agents compete commissions up, entry
standards down)
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28. The NTU approach to recruitment
• Make international student journey
from discovery to enrolment as
welcoming as possible
• Global Counsellors’ Conference
• In-country representative (support
agents and applicants)
• Pre-departure parties
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29. Education Destination Nottingham
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30. 4. International student experience and
support
• Range of social support activities
offered NTU Global Office, Student
Services and NTSU
• International buddy system to help
integrate UK and international
students
• Alumni events internationally to
create a global family of NTU
graduates
• Early intervention “Student
Dashboard” to identify and support
failing students
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31. 31
NTU Global Lounge
Typical events:
• International Returners’ Reception
• Incoming Exchange Welcome Party
• International Volunteering Day
• International Student Ambassadors Party
• Erasmus Information Day
• HIVE European Entrepreneur Exchange
• NTSU International Assembly
• International Exchange Week
• Uganda Public Health Awareness
• International Volunteers' Training

32. Work experience for international students
32
International
Students
SME
Exporters
In-
company
projects
Internships

33. Supporting international students is about
more than retention
• Engaged international students
– become proud alumni, creating global
networks of boosters and recruiters
– can transform the attitudes (and future
career prospects) of domestic students
– can make the university a cultural
exchange for the local community
– can support the region’s export capacity
33
Dato' Sri Haji Mohammad Najib bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak
Prime Minister, Malaysia, 2009-date
BSc Industrial Economics, University of Nottingham, 1971-74

34. 5. Internationalisation of the staff
• Provide the professional development for staff (academic and
professional services) so that they support and value
international students
– Training on students’ learning styles, cultural awareness, etc
– Encourage international exchange of academic and professional
staff
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35. Conclusions
Internationalisation at the heart of a university:
• to provide a meaningful international learning experience for
all students
• to develop ’global citizens’
• to facilitate critical thinking in graduates – ‘ontological shock’
• to enable graduates to be employable and successful in a
globalised labour force
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