Research from British Council and Studyportals has provided new insights into internationalised offerings by mapping the global supply of on-campus English-taught bachelor’s and master’s degrees worldwide.
The growth in English-taught programs worldwide has been largely driven by a surge in programs from non-traditional destinations, which have tripled since 2014, and grew by 48% between 2019 and 2024.
“The surge in English-taught programmes outside traditional anglophone destinations marks a significant shift in global education,” said Edwin van Rest, cofounder and CEO of Studyportals.
“As universities across the globe rapidly adopt English as a medium of instruction this means more symmetrical talent flows as traditional student origin countries also become more compelling study destinations.
“This expansion provides students with more competitive and affordable opportunities, while also intensifying the competition for established institutions, particularly in light of stricter entry requirements and visa uncertainties.”
In 2021, the ‘Big Four’ anglophone destinations (the UK, the US, Canada, and Australia) offered 82% of global English-taught, on-campus program. The Big Four’s share of all English-taught programmes has dropped to 78% in 2024.
Meanwhile, Turkey, Italy, and Portugal recorded the highest growth in Europe since 2021. This is despite Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands remaining the top providers of the programs in the European Higher Education Area.
The majority of the 40,786 on-campus English-taught program offered by countries outside the Big Four are in the EHEA – some 50% – followed by East Asia with 12%, the report highlighted.
“It is interesting to see that the availability of English-taught programmes in East Asia has far surpassed the supply of the Chinese region, which is a considerable shift from what was seen in 2021,” a spokesperson for Studyportals noted.
They added that this highlights the internationalisation of programs in East Asia, most notably for programs offered by Malaysian institutions.
The Chinese region (China, Hong Kong Macau, and Taiwan), accounted for 10% of the programmes, while Sub-Saharan Africa region (South Africa, Nigeria, Uganda) had 8% with South Asia (India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka), and the Middle East and North Africa (UAE, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Iran, Palestine), contributing to 7% and 6% of the growth respectively.
The Americas showed least interest in English as medium of degree education at only 2%.
The rise of non-traditional destinations indicates increased choices for students, and more competition for universities in traditional destinations, agreed Megan Agnew, global partnerships manager, higher education, at British Council.
“As an enabler for many global opportunities, English language is becoming more important, and more in demand as a language of instruction in both English-speaking and non-English speaking countries,” she told The PIE News.
“The majority of English-taught programmes worldwide, and across all regions, are offered in ranked or top-100 institutions,” she added, seeking to allay fears that the proliferation could compromise education quality.
In terms of growth by level of study, bachelor’s degrees grew by 59%, while master’s education rose by 43% since 2019.
Among the fastest growing disciplines, ETPs are increasingly being offered within Computer Science & IT – which includes fields such as Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Software Engineering and Data Analytics. The global supply of these on-campus bachelor’s and master’s programmes grew by 63%.
Meanwhile, Natural Sciences & Mathematics and Agriculture and Forestry which grew 62%.
English continues to be a critical enabler to opportunities in education and employment
Mark Walker, British Council
Notable growth was also evident in Environmental Studies & Earth Sciences and Humanities at 58%, while Medicine & Health, Engineering & Technology, and Education & Training returned a 57%, 54% and 50% growth respectively.
English as a language of instruction is coming into question in some destinations. This includes Denmark which in 2021 chose to reduce the number of ETPs institutions planned to offer, while more recently the Netherlands unveiled plans to reduce ETPs in an effort to prioritise the Dutch language and relieve pressure on student accommodation.
The analysis predicts that much of the growth of ETPs will materialise in Asia, in particular across China, which it forecasts will overtake Europe in overall number of programmes offered by 2030.
According to Mark Walker, director of English and exams at the British Council, last year alone, over four million IELTS tests were taken by people looking to prove their English language proficiency and around 60 million users accessed a British Council Free Learn-English site across almost every country in the world.
“The remarkable growth of English-taught degrees highlighted in this report prompts us to reflect on the evolving international education landscape and its potential impacts,” said Walker.
“English continues to be a critical enabler to opportunities in education and employment and the British Council continues to be committed to supporting learners around the world.”