International Branch Campuses: Success Factors

Abstract

The article provides an overview of the second part of a report on international branch campuses (IBCs). The Observatory on Borderless Higher Education (OBHE) and the Cross-Border Education Research Team (C-BERT) are the authors of the report. IBCs continue to grow in number and variety around the world, and the report includes updated estimates and patterns by country, but previously there has been limited attention paid to the success factors of mature IBCs. Defined as campuses in place for a decade or more, the report draws on in-depth interviews with campus and institutional leaders.

Examining the linkage between class attendance at university and academic performance in an International Branch Campus setting

“…An IBC is defined as 'an entity that is owned, at least in part, by a specific foreign HEI, which has some degree of responsibility for the overall strategy and quality assurance of the branch campus' (Garrett, 2018). Wilkins and Rumbley (2018) add that IBCs are unique cases in transnational HE as they usually retain the name of the home campus and offer the infrastructure that allows students to gain a student experience that is similar to that offered at the home campus.…”

The difficult act of balancing financial and academic performance: Product adaptation strategies at university branch campuses

“…In a more recent study undertaken by OBHE, Garrett (2018) notes that universities focus on quality over profit but the main goal is financial sustainability. Dubai, as the host country, brings along an isomorphic pressure on universities to be financially viable.…”

Making the Grade: Do International Branch Campuses and Their Home Campuses Differ in International Student Satisfaction With the Academic Experience?

“…The report, and this study, define an IBC as an entity that is owned, at least in part, by a foreign education provider; operated in the name of the foreign education provider; and provides an entire academic program, substantially on site, leading to a degree awarded by the foreign education provider. (Garrett et al, 2017) IBC expansion has taken place around the world: The OBHE/C-BERT reports that in 2017, there were 77 countries that hosted IBCs, and in that year alone, IBCs opened in Mexico, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Sierra Leone, Malta, the United Kingdom, Qatar, South Korea, and China. Although founding institutions of IBCs can be found in 33 counties, the majority come from a small set of countries.…”

“…Seventy-three percent of the 263 IBCs come from institutions based in the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia, France, and Australia. Furthermore, around half of the IBCs currently under development worldwide come from institutions based in the United States and the United Kingdom (Garrett et al, 2017).…”

“…The governments of countries that host IBCs often do so to prevent "brain drain," in which students and academics pursue opportunities outside their countries (McBurnie & Ziguras, 2007;Ziguras & Gribble, 2015). Host countries may also have economic incentives, anticipating a potential boost to the economy and research capacity from collaboration with industry and influx of international students and experts (Garrett et al, 2017).…”