How UK universities lost control of the international education narrative

For much of the past decade, the UK's international education strategy was built around a relatively straightforward objective. Universities were encouraged to recruit more international students, diversify their recruitment markets and strengthen one of Britain's most valuable export sectors. Success was measured by growth. Institutions celebrated record enrolments, expanded overseas partnerships and invested heavily in international recruitment, while successive governments highlighted the economic contribution of international education and its importance to the UK's global influence.