The Common Factors Underlying Successful International Branch Campuses: Towards a Conceptual Decision-Making Framework

The last 25 years have witnessed the emergence of the International Branch Campus (IBC) as a means of providing Transnational Higher Education (TNE). The growth in the number of IBCs has not been without examples of failure and in some cases controversy, necessitating informed decision-making on the part of university leaders contemplating such a venture. Based on a systematic review of literature concerning the motivations for establishing IBCs; the drivers of sustainability and longevity; and case studies of successful and unsuccessful ventures by UK universities, this paper identifies key characteristics of successful IBCs. It proposes a framework -- combining strategic, leadership, academic, financial and operational factors -- for use by decision-makers in determining whether to establish and how to manage an IBC.