EUROPE-UNITED KINGDOM
Over the past months, I have engaged with a range of higher education stakeholders in the United Kingdom and in Italy as part of a British Council study on academic cooperation between Italy and the United Kingdom. The findings of that study have now been published.
This study is a follow-up to previous research that examined Italian universities’ perspectives on post-Brexit collaborations with UK institutions.
It expands on that research by incorporating the viewpoints of UK higher education providers and focusing more specifically on academic cooperation through double degrees and transnational education (TNE) partnerships. It also addresses related topics, such as student mobility and research collaboration.
The final report provides an overview of UK-Italy higher education cooperation, focusing on student mobility, TNE, and research, along with the policy environment for inbound TNE in Italy.
It presents findings from surveys, interviews and a workshop at the Italy-UK Pontignano Conference 2024. It includes recommendations for policy measures to strengthen academic cooperation. It also includes lists of existing UK TNE partnerships and UK-Italy double degree programmes as well as case studies of UK validation and franchise partnerships in Italy.
Importantly, the report includes several policy recommendations aimed at strengthening bilateral academic ties. One such recommendation urges the UK government to pursue post-Brexit agreements with EU member states to facilitate reciprocal student mobility.
The recent announcement of a new UK-EU agreement, which includes plans for deeper collaboration through a “youth mobility scheme” and raises the prospect of the UK rejoining the Erasmus+ programme, is a particularly encouraging development for the future of UK-Italy academic cooperation.
UK-Italy academic cooperation
Student mobility:
There has been a significant decline in Italian students enrolling in UK higher education since the UK’s departure from the European Union, with a 51% drop overall and a 57.8% decrease in first-year enrolments between the 2020 to 2021 and 2023 to 24 academic years.
However, most of the decline occurred in the first few years, and mobility from Italy has since stabilised. This mirrors broader trends with EU student mobility to the UK.
Interestingly, in the same period, there has been a 15.3% increase in UK students enrolling in Italian universities, with Italy representing the fourth most popular country under the Turing outward mobility programme.
Despite these trends, the UK remains a popular destination for Italian students, and there is still a significant difference in student flows between the two countries.
Transnational education:
In 2023 to 2024, there were 2,885 students enrolled in UK TNE programmes in Italy, making Italy the 10th largest destination for UK TNE in the EU. This represents a 19% growth since 2018 to 2019, before COVID-19 and the UK’s departure from the EU.
Just over 50% of UK TNE in Italy is offered through distance learning, the remaining through validation and franchise partnerships with local institutions, often in niche subject areas.
Based on a comprehensive review of Italian and UK universities’ websites, there are currently just over 60 known double degree programmes between UK and Italian universities, with the UK ranking fifth among countries with such agreements with Italy. Italy, in turn, is the fourth-largest partner country for double degree agreements with UK universities.
Research:
Italy is a key research partner for the UK, with Italian academics forming one of the largest foreign communities in the UK higher education sector.
This significant presence of Italian academics in the UK has been crucial in maintaining strong academic ties between the two countries. However, recent trends show a decline in the number of Italian academic staff in the UK.
Despite concerns surrounding the impact of Brexit, Italian researchers remain keen to continue collaborating with the UK. European funding has traditionally supported most research collaboration between the two countries.
The UK’s quick re-entry into Horizon Europe is therefore regarded as crucial for preserving and strengthening ongoing research collaboration.
The Italian policy landscape for TNE:
The Italian policy landscape for inbound TNE distinguishes between two main types of foreign higher education presence: branch campuses and subsidiaries (filiazioni).
Branch campuses allow foreign institutions to offer study programmes and award degrees recognised in Italy. Currently, only one branch campus, the French ESCP Business School, operates in Italy.
Subsidiaries, on the other hand, enable foreign institutions to decentralise part of their academic programmes in Italy, primarily for study-abroad purposes. There are over 130 subsidiaries (or study abroad centres) in Italy, all operated by US universities.
There are legal constraints regarding the decentralisation of full degree programmes, particularly in regulated fields such as medicine, to avoid an oversupply of graduates in these regulated professions.
Recognition of TNE qualifications in Italy requires compliance with strict quality and equivalence criteria, including institutional recognition, scientific relevance, adequate facilities and faculty qualifications.
Qualifications from validated or franchised partnerships are not recognised in Italy due to quality and quality assurance concerns. There might be potential to overcome these recognition barriers through improved cooperation in quality assurance between Italian and UK regulatory and quality assurance bodies.
Findings from stakeholder engagement
Fees and visa regimes:
Brexit has significantly hindered academic collaboration between Italian and UK universities, primarily due to increased tuition fees for Italian students and complex visa requirements, especially for stays over six months.
The UK’s withdrawal from Erasmus+ has further strained mobility programmes, although UK and Italian providers have tried to mitigate impacts, such as through institutional financial support, short-term options (for example, summer schools), and virtual and hybrid models.
Postgraduate programmes and cooperation with Italian private universities are less affected, while undergraduate exchanges and internships face the most challenges.
Reciprocity:
Differing fee structures and an imbalance in student mobility hinder UK-Italy academic collaboration, with far more Italian students studying in the UK than vice versa.
Barriers include limited English-taught programmes in Italy (although numbers are quickly growing), differing durations of masters programmes and UK students’ reluctance to study abroad.
The Turing scheme aims to support UK mobility but faces challenges, such as insufficient funding for disadvantaged students and declining modern language programmes, which have traditionally driven UK student exchanges – although four of the five top destinations for Turing-funded students are EU countries, with Italy being the fourth most popular destination under the Turing programme.
Awareness of opportunities and strategic alignment:
Strategic misalignment and limited awareness of existing opportunities hinder UK-Italy academic cooperation.
UK providers and students are often unaware of Italy’s growing offer of English-taught programmes and underestimate the quality of higher education in Italy. Perceptions of Italy as bureaucratic and less receptive to internationalisation further deter collaboration.
Despite Italy’s growing internationalisation efforts, UK providers often prioritise markets with higher student volumes, although Brexit has prompted some to reconsider European partnerships as part of a strategic decision to strengthen engagement with EU countries, including Italy.
Both UK and Italian providers see the potential role that the British Council, working with sector bodies such as Universities UK and the Conference of Italian University Rectors, could play in facilitating reciprocal understanding and creating networking opportunities.
Research:
Research cooperation between Italian and UK universities, traditionally supported by EU funding like Horizon 2020, faced challenges during the UK’s brief exit from Horizon Europe. The UK’s re-entry is seen as positive, though rebuilding trust and collaboration may take time.
Both sides emphasise the importance of joint PhD programmes, research mobility and leveraging Italian academics in the UK to strengthen ties, particularly with renewed access to Horizon Europe funding opportunities.
Where next?
Costs are an important factor to address. A recommendation coming from the report’s findings is that the UK government should explore post-Brexit agreements with EU countries to facilitate reciprocal student mobility and lower costs via government or institutional initiatives. The announcement this week is a start, and we await the details.
When it comes to strategic priority areas, institutions should prioritise short-term mobility opportunities to boost two-way student mobility, such as summer schools.
They should also look to expand virtual exchanges, develop joint PhD programmes, increase English-taught programmes at Italian universities, and leverage European University Alliances.
In addition, UK and Italian sector bodies should facilitate a better understanding of each other’s higher education systems and opportunities for collaboration. The British Council can play a key role in these efforts.
As far as TNE is concerned, a dialogue needs to be established between the quality assurance and regulatory bodies of both countries to foster mutual understanding of TNE, its quality and quality assurance, and support reciprocal recognition, thus unlocking TNE’s potential to meet ongoing demand for UK degrees in Italy while supporting Italy’s aims to retain talent and attract international students.
Finally, a joint UK-Italy taskforce is needed to address key challenges and find actionable solutions for long-term academic collaboration.
Dr Fabrizio Trifiró is an international education expert and practitioner, with over 15 years’ experience in the quality assurance and regulation of international education. He recently hosted a podcast series on ‘Experiences of International Education’. Fabrizio is a member of the board of directors of the International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education and has recently taken on the role of programme director for the Education World Forum, now under the stewardship of Times Higher Education.
This article is a commentary. Commentary articles are the opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of University World News.
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