Your questions answered: the UK International Education Strategy 2026

The International Education Strategy 2026 sets out the UK Government’s plan for global education. It explains how the government intends to focus on three ambitions to achieve this:  

1. To increase the UK’s international standing through education and make the UK the global partner of choice at every stage of learning.   
2. To continue to sustainably recruit high-quality international students from a diverse range of countries, helping them become global changemakers and lifelong advocates for UK values.   
3. To grow education exports to £40 billion per year by 2030. 

It matters because it will shape how government and the educational sector work together on its delivery. It clarifies the government’s priorities when it comes to global education and includes its priorities for international students studying in the UK. It also links to how policies may remain or change, and how those policy decisions may impact educational institutions and international students in the UK.

The Strategy explicitly commits to supporting sustainable recruitment by putting student experience, quality outcomes, and responsible recruitment at the heart of the approach. In practice, it highlights the foundations that shape day-to-day experience, including strong support systems, adequate infrastructure, and access to local housing, as well as links this to long-term sustainability and reputation.  

It also signals the importance of the student voice in shaping policy, including through the direct inclusion of #WeAreInternational Student Ambassador Nebu George’s story, reflecting how being welcomed and heard underpins a high-quality experience.  

UKCISA will continue to bring student insight into our work with government through our #WeAreInternational Student Ambassador Programme, which supports international students to use their lived experience to influence policy and shape a quality student experience.  

The Strategy reinforces expectations around sustainable and responsible recruitment, maintaining quality, and supporting a high-quality student experience as part of sustainable growth. It also points to encouraging provider diversification and references sector-led initiatives to protect students and improve standards in recruitment practice, for example, the Agent Quality Framework.  

Our #WeAreInternational Student Charter provides a clear, student-informed framework that can help providers translate this ambition into practice, supporting reflection on what high-quality student experience looks like across the student journey.  

Recruitment is a term often used in an educational context to describe processes and decisions relating to how educational institutions attract, admit and enrol international students. ‘Sustainable recruitment’ means that the decisions on how this is done, the processes used to do it and the strategy this is based on can be maintained long term.  

It emphasises that recruitment is responsible, that is, that decisions and processes are honest, accurate, compliant with regulations and keep the welfare of students at the heart of those decisions. It ensures that institutions can deliver on their commitment to students. 

The Strategy indicates delivery will be supported through the Education Sector Action Group (ESAG) and describes it as a reformed, ministerially chaired forum that brings together industry, government, and representative bodies, with representatives leading action plans to be published within the first 100 days.  

They are related but not the same. The Immigration White Paper (published 12 May 2025) set out proposals and the direction of travel for immigration reform. The IWP was not exclusively focussed on student immigration, and the status of where the IWP proposals are at now differ. The IWP document did not itself change law. The changes need to come into effect because of a change in law of guidance. See more here.  

The IES 2026 is similar, in that the document itself does change anything in law or guidance relating to immigration. The IES says the UK ’s offer to international students should remain globally competitive and aligned with wider immigration and skills priorities, including noting the Graduate route as part of the competitiveness. It also touches on proposals that were included in the Immigration White Paper, such as the levy, and includes the messaging that the UK Government’s approach to international student recruitment will continue to align with the UK’s migration and visa policy framework.  

UKCISA is well placed and ready to support the government and the sector to deliver on these priorities. Our #WeAreInternational Student Charter provides a clear, student-informed framework that can help translate ambition into practice.  

UKCISA will be seeking feedback from members and international students on the likely impacts to inform our advocacy to government and our work with sector colleagues.

 We will continue to work with members and international students to bring their insight and lived experience into our engagement with government as the strategy is implemented.