How new ideas about access to university are dramatically expanding the market for international higher education

This special feature is brought you in partnership with International Humanitarian College London (IHCL).

A newly released UNESCO report reveals that higher education enrolments have more than doubled globally over the past 25 years, rising from about 100 million students in 2000 to 269 million as of 2024. Further, that growth is expected to continue in the years ahead and it will be driven in large part by surging populations in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.

The nearly 300 million higher education students enrolled in 2024 represents 43% of the traditional college-age population (that is, of 18–24 year-olds) worldwide. UNESCO cautions, however, that "serious geographical inequalities remain," with enrolment rates ranging from 80% of young people in Western Europe and North America, down to just 9% in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Within that global total, we also find the nearly 7.3 million students studying abroad as of 2023. That total amounts to a tripling of the number of internationally mobile students since the turn of the century, but even so represents only about 3% of the global student cohort.

Earlier research from QS's HolonIQ division demonstrates that for every student who goes abroad, there are another four who would like to study outside their home countries but are unable to do so because of personal circumstances, including financial concerns or family or professional commitments that prevent overseas travel. That much larger market now projects to a global total of nearly 30 million additional higher education students who are not served by the conventional model of study abroad.

Put another way, the addressable market for international higher education is considerably larger than it is generally thought to be. However, traditional models of higher education delivery necessarily constrain access to students with the means to study full-time on campus and to those who are able to step out of the rest of their lives and focus on their studies for years at a time.

But what about the rest of that potential student market for higher education? We are certainly seeing an expansion of transnational education programming – including a significant number of new joint programmes and offshore campuses – over the last two to three years alone.

And of course online programme delivery is also expanding at a remarkable rate. The global online education market was estimated at around $389 billion in 2025 and is expected to reach roughly $565 billion by 2030.

What those macro indicators are telling us is that a true expansion of access to higher education is going to take a wider menu of delivery models, accompanied by new systems to support students during their studies and strong linkages to professional opportunities after graduation.
 
That is precisely what International Humanitarian College London (IHCL) has been founded to deliver as a new UK-based university built around innovative online programme delivery and student success.

New university; long history

IHCL was established as a licensed institution in 2025 after two years of preparation and development. The college will welcome its first intake for online study in September 2026, but its origins trace back to the Ukraine-based International Educational Corporation and its current enrolment base of more than 30,000 students.

IHCL offers accredited master's programmes, including MAs in Management, Psychology, and Hospitality Management, as well as a variety of three-to-six-week professional certificates in leadership, entrepreneurship, design thinking, and more.

Those fields of study are key to the IHCL offer but even more important is the college's distinct approach to teaching and learning. "A student juggling real-life responsibilities at home and at work needs more than a convenient timetable," says IHCL's CEO Dr Serhii Kosianenko. "They need a new approach to learning that they can fit into their busy lives. This means more than online or hybrid delivery: it means that, as educators, we need to rethink what we're teaching, how we support students in their learning, and how we evaluate student performance."

Learning by doing

IHCL is meeting that challenge through its commitment to expand access to higher education, but also with an approach that puts the focus on real-world learning. The college applies a carefully structured approach called Adaptive Chunked Experiential Learning, or ACEL. This means that students move through their programmes in manageable, meaningful blocks, and that they apply knowledge right away by delivering live briefings, participating in simulations, and joining in collaborative projects.

"We put experiential learning at the centre of the student experience," says Managing Director Dr  Rod Brazier. "And we support our learners with an integrated team of professionals, including of course our faculty but also with an academic coach and a professional mentor assigned to each student. These are invaluable supports that contextualise learning and ground the course material in the real life concerns and aspirations of the student. But they also play a key role in connecting our students to future opportunities in their chosen fields. Our graduates will leave IHCL not just with knowledge, but with experience, perspective, and practical skills for the workplace — and for life."

The opportunity for agents

IHCL is more than an important new bridge to higher education for students from around the world. It is also an opportunity for education agents to expand their reach to include underserved student segments in their local markets – and especially those students who want to obtain a high-quality foreign master's or professional certificate while still honouring their family commitments and professional responsibilities.

The scale of that potential market is massive, and agents have a key role to play in helping students to find the transnational, online, or blended programme that suits them best.

IHCL recognises the importance of professional agents and advisors in helping to ensure that the  student is well-fitted to their intended programme and that they get the most out of their study experience. The college is currently building its international agent network and is now inviting interest from well-established agents in markets around the world.

For more information or to inquire about partnering with the college, please visit IHCL's resource page for international representatives.