Transnational education: seven tests before universities build, partner, or expand across borders

This blog was kindly authored by Kathy Collins, Higher Education Consulting Director at Huron, a HEPI Partner.

Transnational education (TNE) – including international branch campuses, joint universities and deeply integrated global partnerships – has become a durable feature of global higher education. Institutions may consider TNE to advance academic mission, expand global reach, support workforce development, diversify revenue and respond to demographic and geopolitical change.

Research by the CrossBorder Education Research Team (C-BERT) confirms the growth and prevalence of these efforts, with hundreds of international branch campuses operating across diverse regulatory, economic, and political environments.

Yet the continued growth of TNE should not be mistaken for uniform success. Outcomes vary significantly, and the distance between an attractive concept and a sustainable operation can be substantial. The central question is therefore not simply where an institution can expand. It is whether the proposed combination of mission, market demand, academic model, governance, economics, and risk can support long-term success.

A feasibility study should test the assumptions, constraints, and tradeoffs that will determine whether an institution should proceed, how the initiative should be designed, and what conditions must be true for it to remain academically credible, financially sustainable, and governable over time.

Seven tests consistently distinguish global TNE strategy feasibility studies that inform sound decisions from those that merely reinforce existing ambitions.

The purpose test

Is the institutional rationale clear enough to guide difficult choices?

Successful TNE initiatives begin with clarity about why the institution is pursuing the opportunity. Efforts framed narrowly around growth or brand visibility struggle to sustain alignment once complexity emerges.

Well-designed feasibility studies define success explicitly before testing market demand or operating models. This discipline ensures that TNE advances institutional strategy rather than substitutes for it.

The governance test

Can the parties agree on control before launch?

Governance is often among the most underestimated determinant of TNE outcomes. Research by C-Bert scholars Kevin Kinser and Jason Lane highlights the importance of oversight arrangements in areas such as faculty, curriculum, and finance, demonstrating that institutions must make deliberate choices about how authority and accountability are shared across borders.

Leading institutions address this risk during feasibility, not after launch. By clearly defining decision rights around academics, escalation, finance, operations and staffing before commitments are made, universities can identify governance constraints early, reduce downstream renegotiation, and create a stronger foundation for long-term success. Feasibility studies that make sure to surface governance constraints early reduce downstream renegotiation and institutional friction.

The academic portability test

Can the model be delivered credibly in the host environment?

Academic models are often the make-or-break variable in TNE, because they carry the institution’s culture, quality norms and labour model – and those do not port automatically across borders.

Three lessons matter most when designing academic models for TNE:

• portability is not the same as replicability;
• academic model choices drive both quality and economics; and
• programme portfolio fit matters more than showcasing institutional prestige.

The sustainable scale test

Can the financial model work beyond the first cohort?

Financial challenges with TNE often stem from unrealistic and misaligned assumptions about enrolment, pricing, cost sharing, external support, or long-term subsidies.

Well-executed feasibility work emphasises conservative assumptions, transparent cost structures, and explicit downside scenarios. Demand modelling must test sustained scale, not just initial interest. A campus must enrol and retain enough students to support a full academic ecosystem.

The decision threshold test

Does the institution know when to proceed, redesign, pause, or stop?

Strong feasibility studies do not simply catalogue risks; they define decisionthresholds. Political, regulatory, reputational and operational risks are assessed alongside conditions under which an institution should pause, redesign or not proceed.

This approach reflects a shift in how institutions now view feasibility: not as justification, but as protection of long-term institutional interests.

The academic legitimacy test

Have academic stakeholders meaningfully tested the model?

TNE initiatives touch the academic core, making academic staff engagement essential. Feasibility studies that meaningfully engage academic stakeholders on curriculum, quality assurance and staffing are better positioned to surface issues early, before institutional commitments are made (Kevin Kinser & Jason Lane, 2014. Managing the oversight of international branch campuses in higher education,” Higher Education Management and Policy, OECD Publishing, vol. 24(3), pages 161-176.)

The lifecycle test

Can the institution adapt, reinvest, resize or exit responsibly?

TNE initiatives rarely unfold exactly as planned. Even well-designed efforts can face predictable inflection points, including launch challenges, financial recalibration, leadership transitions, shifts in partner priorities, and changes in the policy or regulatory environment.

Feasibility should assess whether the institution has the leadership capacity, governance structures, financial resilience, and risk tolerance to navigate the full lifecycle.

What should a feasibility study deliver?

Taken together, these tests show how feasibility work can support TNE decision-making by clarifying the evidence, assumptions, risks and decision thresholds that should inform whether and how an institution proceeds. At its best, a feasibility study should produce:

• Objectivity and clarity in go / no-go decisions
• Integrated analysis across strategy, academics, finance, and risk
• Documented assumptions and evidence gaps
• Decision-ready outputs for executive and board governance

The strongest feasibility studies do not simply ask, ‘Can we build a global campus, joint university, or TNE partnership?’ They ask, ‘Should we proceed? Under what conditions? What would need to be true for the initiative to succeed – and what would tell us it is time to reconsider?’