From China’s TNE reforms, to Japan’s internationalisation push, East Asia is within the midst of a drive to draw extra worldwide college students. In the meantime, Southeast Asian international locations are deepening increased schooling hyperlinks with the UK and Australia whereas looking for to draw worldwide college students themselves.
Right here’s The PIE’s choose of the most important worldwide schooling tales of the area from the yr that’s simply gone.
1. Universities throughout ASEAN be part of forces to strengthen HE collaboration and partnerships
On the ASEAN Universities Exhibition and Discussion board 2025, which introduced collectively universities from throughout Southeast Asia, greater than 10 collaborations have been signed between ASEAN establishments, highlighting rising regional cooperation in increased schooling. The discussion board additionally emphasised a collective dedication to strengthening Asia’s place as a “rising contender” to the normal large 4 research locations.
Key bulletins included the smooth launch of the ASEAN International Trade for Mobility & Scholarship (ASEAN GEMS) platform and the launch of the ASEAN Pupil Mobility Program in collaboration with Universiti Utara Malaysia and 13 Malaysian universities, with transnational schooling being underscored as a “key pillar” of the area’s increased schooling future.
In 2025, most East Asian international locations have been clear that worldwide college students and intra-regional mobility are key to sustaining robust financial progress. The “Asian tigers” — Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan and Singapore — have been central to this shift, with locations like Hong Kong actively diversifying their scholar physique to incorporate learners from India, Nigeria, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan and different rising markets.
Whereas enrolments from East Asia to UK universities stay regular, rising value sensitivity and increasing regional choices are reshaping scholar flows. On the similar time, uneven wage progress throughout East Asia has coincided with scholar mobility inside the area rising quicker between 2013 and 2020 than mobility to main English-speaking locations.
3. Malaysia’s rise as Asia’s “belle of the ball” for worldwide college students
The Southeast Asian nation has seen a 26% rise in worldwide purposes over the previous two years and has set a goal of internet hosting 250,000 worldwide college students by 2030.
With nearly all of purposes coming from China, India, Indonesia, Bangladesh and Pakistan, the Malaysian authorities introduced plans final yr to introduce a centralised system geared toward streamlining worldwide scholar admissions, alongside collaboration with supply international locations to make sure a “easy and safe” course of.
Furthermore, Malaysia is looking for to develop recruitment from Central Asia and Africa, although the deliberate introduction of a 6% service tax on personal schooling providers for non-Malaysian college students has raised issues concerning the vacation spot’s long-term attractiveness.
4. Chinese language scholar demand softens for the Massive 4, particularly the US
A July 2025 webinar confirmed what many had lengthy suspected: China is not the “simple goldmine” it as soon as was. Chinese language college students are more and more choosing alternate options nearer to house, with international locations just like the US and Canada seeing notable declines in Chinese language enrolments, whereas locations such because the UK, Australia and New Zealand have proven reverse tendencies.
This shift comes as China issued warnings to its scholar nationals in April final yr to train warning when planning to review in sure US states following the passage of Ohio’s increased schooling invoice, which restricts Chinese language partnerships.
On the similar time, the Trump administration pledged to “aggressively revoke” visas for Chinese language college students with hyperlinks to the Chinese language Communist Get together or these finding out in “important fields”, though the President has since defended Chinese language college students as an vital a part of the US increased schooling system on separate events.
5. China goals to develop TNE enrolments from 800,000 to eight million inside a decade
In 2025, China’s schooling ministry introduced a collection of updates to its TNE coverage throughout a briefing for worldwide diplomatic missions, as a part of efforts to scale up TNE enrolments nationwide.
The revised framework eases a number of restrictions, together with eradicating the 1,200-student enrolment cap beforehand utilized to joint schooling institutes and programmes. It additionally expands flexibility past the normal 4+0 mannequin to incorporate 3+1 and different blended codecs that permit college students to spend a part of their research abroad, whereas enabling establishments to submit a number of purposes inside a single approval cycle.
Towards this backdrop, a Universities Australia delegation led by chair Carolyn Evans and supported by CEO Luke Sheehy visited Shenzhen and Beijing in October 2025 to renew partnerships in schooling, analysis and innovation, with the purpose of deepening cooperation in areas important to each international locations, together with clear power, superior manufacturing, well being and expertise.
6. Japan strikes to extend worldwide college students and researchers
Japan’s Ministry of Training (MEXT) is planning to lift enrolment caps at choose establishments to spice up worldwide scholar numbers.
Beneath the proposals, some universities, junior faculties and technical faculties can be allowed to exceed their enrolment limits by as much as 5% from the subsequent educational yr, beginning in April 2026. The transfer varieties a part of the federal government’s push to fulfill its goal of attracting 400,000 worldwide college students by 2033.
In parallel, Japan has launched a brand new program geared toward attracting abroad researchers to 11 establishments because it seeks to place itself as a world-class analysis hub. Led by MEXT, the initiative will see ¥3.3bn allotted throughout the schools to assist researchers over the subsequent three years.
7. South Korea hits 300k worldwide scholar aim two years forward of schedule
Worldwide scholar enrolments in South Korea surpassed 300,000 for the primary time in August 2025, in accordance with authorities immigration information, with greater than a 3rd of scholars coming from Vietnam. Chinese language college students made up 28% of the full, adopted by smaller cohorts from Uzbekistan, Mongolia and Nepal.
The expansion has been pushed largely by authorities coverage, notably the launch of the “Examine Korea 300K” initiative in 2023, which aimed to achieve the goal by 2027.
Measures below the technique included easing monetary necessities for D-2 scholar visas, increasing permitted working hours throughout research, extending post-study job-seeking intervals, and stepping up recruitment in Southeast and Central Asia. Universities have been additionally given better flexibility to introduce English-taught programmes and strengthen scholar assist.
Nevertheless, challenges stay, with specialists pointing to a scarcity of clear pathways linking worldwide college students to employers. College students and the labour market stay largely disconnected, at the same time as round 90% of worldwide college students hope to remain and work in South Korea after commencement.
8. China rolls out K visa in bid to draw worldwide expertise
Efficient since October 1, the K visa is open to worldwide youths with undergraduate or STEM levels from main home and world analysis establishments, in addition to early-career professionals engaged in schooling and analysis in STEM fields.
The visa is designed to supply better comfort by way of a number of entries, longer validity, and prolonged keep durations, whereas additionally facilitating exchanges and collaboration throughout schooling, science, expertise, tradition, enterprise, and entrepreneurship, with purposes assessed primarily based on age, schooling, and work expertise moderately than requiring sponsorship from an area enterprise.
The transfer comes amid declining curiosity in pursuing synthetic intelligence levels within the US, alongside rising curiosity in finding out AI in China. The K visa is being seen as a big step in China’s efforts to draw younger worldwide science and expertise expertise and problem US technological management.
9. Monash opens second Malaysia campus amid Australia’s Southeast Asia push
Monash College Malaysia will associate with TRX Metropolis, developer of Kuala Lumpur’s Tun Razak Trade, to ship its RM2.8 billion (USD $1bn) funding in a brand new campus geared toward deepening engagement within the ASEAN area.
Scheduled to open in 2032, the campus will finally accommodate 22,500 college students and 1,700 workers, that includes cutting-edge analysis centres in power transition, well being, AI, and information science.
The transfer aligns with Invested: Australia’s Southeast Asia Financial Technique to 2040, which seeks to strengthen ties between Australia and Southeast Asia throughout schooling, agriculture, and assets.
10. TOEIC dishonest in Japan raises questions on paper-based check supply
Japan cancelled 803 TOEIC scores following a scholar’s arrest for dishonest, prompting a evaluate of checks taken since Could 2023.
The testing firm mentioned sustaining the integrity and equity of its assessments is a high precedence, with safety measures described as “multilayered” and “regionally adaptive”.
11. China and Japan warn college students about security in one another’s international locations
Final yr, China and Japan issued security warnings for college kids amid rising diplomatic tensions. China’s Ministry of Training cited “social unrest” and rising crimes in opposition to Chinese language nationals in Japan, whereas Japan suggested its residents in China, notably college students, to train further warning and mentioned it was working to make sure their security.
The warnings adopted Japanese PM Sanae Takaichi’s assertion that any Chinese language army motion in opposition to Taiwan may threaten Japan’s survival, prompting Beijing to name the remarks “overtly provocative”.
With over 123,000 Chinese language college students in Japan and greater than 10,000 Japanese college students in China as of Could 2024, each international locations at the moment are anticipated to see a decline in scholar enrolments.
12. First UK-Australia college campus opens in Indonesia
The Deakin Lancaster Indonesia College (DLI) campus, first introduced in January 2024, formally opened in Bandung, West Java, on February 26, 2025.
The campus represents the primary UK-Australian transnational schooling (TNE) partnership in Indonesia, permitting college students to finish twin undergraduate levels from Deakin College and Lancaster College with out leaving the nation.
13. Vietnam’s rising worldwide schooling technique and UK partnership acquire traction
Vietnam goals to extend worldwide college students from 0.5% to 1.5% of enrolments and enhance the worldwide standing of its universities, focusing on top-500 positions worldwide and top-200 in Asia. The federal government’s 2030 technique focuses on advancing schooling, science, analysis, and innovation, with a imaginative and prescient extending to 2045.
Individually, Vietnam is opening its doorways to UK establishments to determine branches and develop operations, because the nation positions itself as an rising hub for worldwide schooling.
