Discover what motivates students to choose transnational degrees, with case studies from France, Greece and Spain
This study is the first of its kind to analyse the motivations of students for choosing transnational degrees. Its focus is on UK transnational education (TNE) in France, Greece and Spain – but since both local and ‘international’ (i.e. from outside the host country) students are included in the samples, the insights could apply to the development and promotion of TNE courses across Europe and beyond.
The findings show that students choose TNE for reasons of flexibility, financial factors (lower cost of living as well as cheaper tuition than the host country) and for the chance to benefit from both the culture of the host country and the awarding country, while for ‘home’ students, the proximity to family and friends is an important motivating factor. UK TNE is seen as particularly attractive in terms of the perceived higher quality of a UK degree, the perceived employability and networking potential of a UK degree, and the courses and course options available.
The research offers important insights for UK and partner institutions into how students discover, research and decide on their TNE options. It highlights potential gaps in the current marketing of these courses and offers recommendations for how these could be improved.
The research was carried out using a combination of desk research and data analysis, and student interviews and an online community to gain quantitative and qualitative student insights.