IIE Launches Five-Year Survey on International Higher Education Partnerships

By Daniel September 22, 2025
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The Institute of International Education (IIE) has launched a five-year global survey examining the landscape of international higher education partnerships. Preliminary findings highlight a more even distribution of collaborations worldwide, alongside a notable rise in the use of technology to support cross-border academic links.

The initiative aims to provide deeper insights into the growing but less understood field of institutional partnerships, compared with the well-documented trends in international student mobility. “Despite their growing importance, we know relatively little about the partnership world that we are building,” said Susan Buck Sutton, IIE CIP fellow.

The first stage of the survey, conducted in the United States, Canada and Europe, revealed the influence of global politics and shifting geopolitical conditions on higher education partnerships. Many respondents also pointed to the surge in online learning and IT-driven collaborations, which have broadened access to partnerships across disciplines and institutions types.

According to Sutton, institutions are now approaching international engagement in more strategic and data-driven ways, with political and policy scrutiny shaping the direction of such linkages. Europe accounted for the largest number of respondents (163), followed by the US (95) and Canada (9). Europe also emerged as the most cited region for partnerships, although survey data show improvements in the global spread of collaborations.

The results suggest partnerships are no longer concentrated in a handful of countries but now extend across regions, with activities ranging from student and faculty exchanges to research centres, joint degrees, and community engagement. This shift reflects a more inclusive approach to global higher education cooperation.

Sylvia Jons, director of IIE’s Centre for International Partnerships, said the survey is designed to “empower institutions and agencies to forge meaningful collaborations that enhance global academic diplomacy.”

The next stage of the survey will focus on the Asia-Pacific region and is scheduled to launch in February 2026 during the APAIE conference.

Source: THE PIE NEWS

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