What Is an International Branch Campus?

Authors

  • Philip G. Altbach Center for International Higher Education, Boston College
  • Hans de Wit Center for International Higher Education, Boston College

Abstract

International branch campuses are expanding rapidly around the world, now numbering 384. While most are sponsored by universities in the Global North and located in the South, there is a trend toward globalization with branches sponsored by India, Egypt, and other countries. Yet there are no clear definitions of what branch campuses are; most seem to be limited professional programs rather than full campuses. This article analyzes the scope and nature of branch campuses globally.

Downloads

Published

2026-09-28

How to Cite

Altbach, P., & de Wit, H. (2026). What Is an International Branch Campus?. International Higher Education, (128). Retrieved from https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/ihe/article/view/22005

Issue

No. 128 (2026): Fall Issue

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2026 International Higher Education

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

    1. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
    2. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
    3. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
    4. Authors will be required to sign our standard License Ageement before publication.

A Word document containing the License Agreement is available for download here.