Overview

This bill amends the Higher Education and Research Act 2017 to increase international collaboration and course choice in UK higher education and research. It expands the scope of the Act to include international providers and a wider range of course types, while also strengthening monitoring of student transfers.

Description

The bill makes several key changes to the 2017 Act:

• Expanding the definition of "higher education providers" to include those based outside the UK. This allows for more international partnerships and collaborations.
• Broadening the types of courses covered by the Act to include online courses, those delivered in collaboration with the private sector, extramural courses, and international courses. This increases the range of educational opportunities available.
• Strengthening the monitoring of student transfers by changing the monitoring duty from "may" to "must". This ensures more robust oversight of inter-institutional student mobility, including transfers from international institutions.
• Extending financial support for registered providers to explicitly include the provision of international student transfer programmes, including online learning and research. This aims to incentivize the growth of these partnerships and initiatives.

Government Spending

The bill doesn't specify exact figures for increased government spending. However, the expansion of financial support to include international student transfer programmes suggests an increase in government expenditure, though the precise amount is yet to be determined.

Groups Affected

• UK Higher Education Institutions: These institutions will be significantly affected, needing to adapt to increased international collaboration and potentially new funding opportunities.
• International Higher Education Institutions: These institutions gain expanded opportunities to collaborate with UK institutions and potentially attract UK students.
• Students: Students will benefit from increased course choice and opportunities for international study and experience.
• UK Government: The government will likely see increased spending on higher education due to the expanded scope of financial support, but also potentially long-term economic benefits from greater international collaboration and skilled workforce development.

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