To mark the launch of the report – titled “Towards a Future UK International Higher Education Strategy: Resilience, Purpose, and Precision” – The PIE and IHEC hosted a webinar featuring leading voices in international education, including report contributors and Commission members.
“We have seen international education become a political football with certain political parties using it as a means to attack immigration routes and also to claim that international students are taking rather than giving to the UK,” said Chris Skidmore, IHEC chair and former UK universities minister, as he set the scene for the report and its recommendations.
Since leaving government, Skidmore has been keen to reflect on past lessons and explore how to build a sustainable international education strategy – one that’s flexible, agile, and not only responsive to global events but anticipatory of them.
Over the past two years, IHEC has engaged closely with the sector to understand its priorities and challenges. As financial pressures mount and global competition intensifies, the report urges both government and the sector to adopt a clear, cohesive international strategy to secure the UK’s place as a global leader in talent, research collaboration, and educational innovation.
The report warns that “failing to secure the future of international higher education in the UK would be an act of national self-harm”, highlighting that the sector is one of only two guaranteed growth industries – health and education.
“It is time to invest with purpose,” the report urges, emphasising that with strong leadership, the UK has the potential to solidify its position as a global science superpower, an economic powerhouse, and a leading advocate for international education.
The report comes as the sector awaits the government’s imminent immigration whitepaper and refreshed international education strategy, with the Commission identifying three core imperatives that it says must guide the UK’s next chapter in international education:
1. Protect and promote the UK’s global competitiveness
The Commission is calling for a renewed commitment to the Graduate Route to maintain a competitive post-study work offer.
Elsewhere, it is seeking a “transformed destination marketing campaign” with a £5 million per annum investment over five years to reassert the UK’s appeal globally.
Skidmore commented: “International students bring economic, academic and cultural vitality to our country. But without strategic intent and a clear welcome, the UK faces significant risk – we have to recognise that the sectors financial dependence on overseas students is not going to change in the short term and we need to grasp the opportunity to build a sustainable long term position.”
Sanam Arora, chairperson of the National Indian Students and Alumni Union UK, shared what she’s hearing directly from students: while the UK remains a top destination, prospective students are voicing real concerns: “Will I be welcomed, will the Graduate Route still be there by the time I get there, will I get the support I need, will I be employable in the UK or back home?”
“These aren’t abstract questions,” said Arora. “They are immediate, they’re deeply personal, and they directly reflect the real-world impact of the policies we are here to discuss.” She stressed that the “human experience” of international students must be at the very heart of the UK’s international higher education strategy.
Without strategic intent and a clear welcome, the UK faces significant risk
Chris Skidmore, IHEC
The Commission also sees integrated student outcome tracking and promotion of employability as integral to attracting globally mobile talent.
2. Diversify to build resilience and drive sustainable growth
The report also warns that overreliance on a handful of source countries poses a systemic risk to institutional and national resilience. It therefore recommends actively managing international recruitment portfolios to reduce dependency and unlock new growth markets, including through a new public-private sector collaborations.
The Commission believes that enhancing transnational education (TNE) and international research collaborations are integral pathways for sustainable expansion, as well as launching “people-to-people diplomacy initiatives” to drive education partnerships in key strategic regions.
Speaking on The PIE’s webinar, Janet Ilieva, founder and director of Education Insight, emphasised the need for greater diversity in both recruitment channels and levels of study, as well as geographical diversity.
The UK has become heavily reliant on master’s students and while this is crucial for financial stability, it can also be point of vulnerability due to the short course duration, she noted.
Ilieva highlighted that 70% of international students in the UK come from just seven countries, explaining that an overreliance on price-sensitive markets can too bring added risk, particularly in response to policy shifts.
3. Reframe the narrative and rebuild public trust
The Commission is urging government and the sector to counteract negative migration rhetoric and position international education as a national asset.
It wants to see transparent reporting on international student flows to show effective oversight, mirroring the system in Australia that records when students arrive and leave the country and a reframing of students as temporary visitors with the focus on immigration policy on the small number who settle here – as suggested by the Migration Advisory Committee in 2018.
Other priorities include strengthening student welfare, housing access, and community integration to secure public support.
The Commission also recommends amplifying the voice of international students via UKCISA and incorporating their experiences into national policy development.
“We must stop allowing international students to be caught in the crossfire of the immigration debate,” said David Pilsbury, secretary of IHEC.
“But that needs we need mechanisms and data to show that students come, contribute and catch a plane home. This report sets out clear steps to help communities understand, and benefit from the global engagement of our universities,” he continued.
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