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Riding the Wave of Change: The Future of International Branch Campuses in Korea

South Korea's role in the global research and literature about international branch campuses (IBCs) has been largely overlooked, despite the country's substantial contributions to student mobility. Initially, Japan was the preferred market for IBCs in East Asia, but now China has taken the lead.

Incheon Global Campus (IGC) was launched in South Korea in 2012, with its founding member being the State University of New York, Korea (SUNY Korea). The IGC was part of a national plan for globalising higher education which focused on two elements: Korean students studying abroad and the addition of international components to Korean higher education.

SUNY Korea was the first American university approved by the Korean government and by 2023, the IGC hosted four IBCs and a research institute from Stanford University, educating almost 4,000 students from 35 different countries.

However, Korea's higher education landscape faces significant challenges due to a declining college-age population and the financial strain on private institutions resulting from political pressure to freeze tuition fees for over a decade. As a result, the Korean government has proposed closing some poorly managed institutions.

The global COVID-19 pandemic has also impacted IBCs, forcing a shift in focus towards in-person or residential learning experiences. Post-pandemic, online education has taken precedence and could potentially replace traditional in-person education. This shift poses a potential threat to the value of IBCs' traditional educational services. To adapt, IBCs need to capitalize on local resources and opportunities to address global needs.

The sustainability of IBCs is a pressing issue, with a focus on improving cost efficiency through collaborations with service providers and platforms, and redesigning cost structures to ensure long-term viability.

In the face of these challenges, several questions arise about the need for IBCs in Korea, their purpose, and whether the initial vision of internationalising higher education through IBCs is still valid today. As the pandemic continues, these questions require urgent answers.

The future of IBCs is uncertain as they navigate the aftermath of the pandemic and the shifting boundaries in higher education brought about by the rise of remote and virtual learning. The American IBC in Korea, for instance, is now at the intersection of major trends, with both nations facing restructuring due to the pandemic. The disruption has created opportunities alongside risks. 

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* Disclaimer

This content is an edited summary of a co-authored article originally published in September 2022 on the University World News. For the original article, please visit https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20220902163238399.

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Location: Seoul, South Korea

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