The United Kingdom has unveiled a new International Education Strategy that will allow British universities to export UK degrees through partnerships with overseas institutions in countries including Nigeria, India, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and Vietnam. The strategy aims to increase UK education export income to £40 billion annually by 2030, expanding the country’s transnational education footprint while limiting the need for large numbers of international students to study onshore.
Released on January 20, 2026, the document sets out the Labour government’s revised approach, marking a shift from the 2019 strategy that prioritised onshore recruitment. While the previous government surpassed its target of enrolling 600,000 international students well ahead of schedule, the new plan places greater emphasis on global delivery models and omits any specific targets for international student numbers in the UK, aligning international education policy with the domestic goal of reducing net migration.