Recently, I had the privilege of visiting Incheon, located in South Korea’s greater Seoul area. During my visit, I had the opportunity to explore the Incheon Global Campus, a prominent global education hub housing satellite campuses of some of the world’s most prestigious universities. I engaged in discussions with the presidents of four international universities, three from the United States and one from Belgium (Ghent University). Additionally, the campus is set to welcome another five to six universities soon, bringing it to full capacity.
My trip also included visits to universities in the Dubai International Academic City and Dubai Knowledge Park free trade zones. These experiences, along with the expressed interest of Pakistani university leaders in establishing overseas campuses to internationalize their programs and campus culture, sparked my curiosity on this matter.
The president of Ghent University’s South Korea campus views his institution as a bridge between Belgium and South Korea, with broader aspirations for both regions in the long run.
Internationalization offers numerous benefits to universities, enriching the educational experience and contributing to institutional growth and success. By bringing together students and faculty from diverse countries and backgrounds, it creates a dynamic and culturally rich learning environment.
Exposure to various cultures, languages, and perspectives fosters global awareness, cross-cultural understanding, and tolerance, preparing students to thrive in an interconnected world. Internationalization also provides opportunities for enhanced learning, language skills, and communication, ultimately increasing employability and career prospects. Other advantages include exchange and mobility programs, a global alumni network, research collaborations, innovations, and improved positioning to address global challenges.
There are two primary approaches to internationalization. The first involves bringing students from different parts of the world to study on the main campus. This approach requires adjustments to the admissions process, mechanisms for evaluating educational qualifications, assistance in finding student accommodations, improved onboarding procedures, support for student visa applications, and tracking visa status upon arrival. While this approach involves changes throughout the university, it can be accomplished with relatively low costs.
The second approach, employed less frequently, involves taking the university to the world by establishing a branch campus overseas. This approach demands a significant investment and often requires invitations, incentives, and positive relationships with regulatory government departments of the host country.
According to data from the Cross-Border Education Research Team (C-BERT), there are currently 333 overseas branch campuses scattered across 83 host countries. The top five countries hosting the most branch campuses are China, the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Malaysia, and Qatar. The leading ‘exporters’ of overseas branch campuses are the United States, United Kingdom, Russia, France, and Australia.
Dubai’s Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) claims that Dubai alone hosts 40 international universities, indicating that C-BERT’s data may be incomplete. The UAE’s welcoming policy toward university branch campuses aligns with the country’s future strategy, which aims to establish itself as a regional and global hub for education.