Global supply of on-campus, English-taught Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees have increased by 22 per cent since 2021, according to a new report from British Council and Studyportals. The growth has been largely driven by a tripling of programs since 2014 from ‘non-traditional’ destinations in Europe, Asia and Africa. This has seen the market share of all English-taught, on-campus programs for the ‘Big Four’ destinations (UK, US, Canada, Australia) drop from 82 per cent in 2021 to 78 per cent in 2024.
The Mapping English-taught Programmes Worldwide report released this week examines key trends in using English language as the medium of instruction, across dimensions such as geographical differences, study methods, university rankings, disciplines, formats and English level requirements.
Growth hot-spots
The majority of the 40,786 on-campus English-taught programs (ETPs) offered by countries outside the Big Four are in the European Higher Education Area (50 per cent), followed by East Asia with 12 per cent and the Chinese region with 10 per cent.
Studyportals data suggests, however, that much of the growth of worldwide ETPs will be in Asia om the future, and in particular in the Chinese Region which is forecasted to overtake Europe in overall number of programmes supplied by the end of the 20s, alongside East Asia.
Disciplines
Unsurprisingly, the discipline fields taught on-campus in the Big Four countries are diverse and cover all subject areas. In non-anglophone countries, however, disciplines are much more likely to be in areas of higher demand, with the top three disciplines being Business and Management, Engineering and Technology, and Social Sciences.
Implications
“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 Mark Walker, Director of English & Exams, British Council.
Expansion of on-campus English-taught programmes outside the traditional anglophone destinations has profound implications for global student mobility. Non-traditional study destinations looking to become more competitive and capitalising on the opportunities, as more students begin to consider studying closer to home. East As
Universities across Europe, Asia, and other regions are increasingly offering programmes in English, providing highly competitive value-for-money propositions. As a result, students can choose from a diverse selection of institutions and study destinations, often finding more affordable options compared to the traditional English-speaking countries.
Edwin van Rest, cofounder and CEO of Studyportals said, “The surge in English-taught programmes outside traditional anglophone destinations marks a significant shift in global education… 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”.
A full copy of the report is available here.
