HIGH EDUCATION INTERNATIONAL MARKETING STRATEGY IN THE UK

High Education international marketing strategy in the UK



High Education international marketing strategy in the UK

Introduction

The UK's Higher Education system is characterised by its diversity, and this is related to its history and development. Institutions are of different age, size, location, focus and level of specialisation - this in turn has an effect on their approach to international marketing. (Doole & Lowe 2001, 54-67)

Although all are (with one exception, the University of Buckingham) public sector institutions, universities are independent, self-governing institutions, empowered by Royal Charter or Act of Parliament to create programmes of study and to award degrees. The role of the state in UK Higher Education includes the creation of universities and the power to award degrees (responsibility is with the Department for Education and Skills - the UK's Ministry of Education), while quality assurance is the remit of the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education. (Doole & Lowe 2001, 54-67)

Explanation

The UK's Approach to International Student Marketing and Recruitment

Incentives and objectives in international student recruitment. International students have been welcomed to UK universities for a very long time. However, a change of government policy in the early 1980s gave UK universities some very clear incentives to direct their efforts into attracting international students in a way that was quite new to them: (Doole & Lowe 2001, 54-67)

The introduction of full-cost fees: in the early 1980s the new Conservative government (led by Margaret Thatcher) decided that UK taxpayers should not be expected to subsidise international students in the same way as "home" (UK students), and that international students should be expected to pay for their education. The effects were immediate: significant reductions in student numbers coming to the UK and in some cases damaged relationships with the governments of ...