The University of West London (UWL) is expanding its presence in Sri Lanka with plans to open a branch campus.

The new base, located in Colombo, will operate in partnership with private higher education provider ANC Education.

UWL has been running degree programmes in the country since 2013, with almost 5,000 students graduating in subjects including business, law, psychology and computing.

The formal redesignation of the partnership as a branch campus will give students direct access to UWL¡¯s academic standards, degree pathways and student representation, as well as access to a dedicated, visibly branded site.

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Peter John, vice-chancellor and president of UWL, said the development was an ¡°important step¡± in the university¡¯s global ambitions.

¡°We are proud of our track record in Sri Lanka, where close to 5,000 students have already graduated with UWL degrees, and we look forward to providing even greater opportunities for Sri Lankan students,¡± he added.

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The new branch campus will initially offer programmes in law, business, psychology, computing and biosciences, reflecting Sri Lanka¡¯s Vision 2048 development agenda and its drive to boost high-level skills and employment outcomes.

Jagath?Alwis, chairman of ANC Education, said the partnership¡¯s new status would give local students ¡°the opportunity to study at a world-class British university without leaving home¡±.

Recruitment to new programmes will begin once regulatory approvals in both countries are complete.

UWL said the branch campus will support Sri Lanka¡¯s knowledge economy by helping to retain talent, broaden access to international education and strengthen graduate employability.

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The move comes amid a surge of transnational education (TNE) activity across Asia, which now accounts for about half of all UK overseas provision, according to Universities UK International.

The fastest growth in TNE enrolments since 2019-20 has been recorded in Saudi Arabia (142 per cent), Sri Lanka (104 per cent) and the United Arab Emirates (88 per cent).

UWL¡¯s launch follows similar moves by Australian universities expanding in the region.

Last year,?Curtin University opened a ¡°fully fledged¡± Sri Lanka campus at the Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology in Colombo, transforming a two-decade teaching partnership into a full campus with programmes in artificial intelligence, health and the humanities.

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The Perth-based institution said around 700 students were currently?enrolled?on its courses in Sri Lanka.

Elsewhere in the region,?Lancaster University and the University of Surrey have recently become the latest to receive approval to open new campuses in India.

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They join a growing list of UK institutions expanding into the country, including Southampton, York, Aberdeen, Bristol, Liverpool, Queen¡¯s University Belfast and Coventry.

tash.mosheim@timeshighereducation.com