International education needs to show its tangible benefits

As the end of the academic year approaches for most countries in the Northern Hemisphere, higher education finds itself at a crossroads. Institutions face declining public confidence, tightening budgets, political pushback and growing questions about who truly benefits from a college degree. Meanwhile, alternative pathways – apprenticeships, micro-credentials and skills bootcamps – are reshaping perceptions of the university’s value.

For international education, the urgency is no less pressing.

International education has long been celebrated as a high-impact practice. Short-term and full-degree study abroad, international internships, global fellowships are exceptional experiences that shape how students see the world and themselves and how they navigate globally diverse workplaces and communities.

But in today’s environment, the simple existence of global programmes and their intangible benefits aren’t enough. International education’s stakeholders – students, families, institutions, policy-makers and employers – are asking important questions: What are the tangible benefits of global education? Are global opportunities truly accessible to all students? How does global education fit into the broader student success and career readiness agenda?

If the international education sector cannot answer these questions, we risk being positioned as peripheral to the future of higher education – at a time when global perspectives and competencies are arguably more essential than ever.

Reframing the role of global education

In recent years, discussions around student achievement, diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and career readiness have proliferated in the international education sector. The heart of this work has been to articulate the impact of global education, highlight participation and support gaps and champion best practices that align global education with student success goals.

However, the higher education landscape has changed, with institutions and many long-cherished practices facing unprecedented scrutiny – from admissions to student outcomes. Nowhere is this more evident than in the politicisation of diversity, equity and inclusion programmes. What does this changed terrain mean for our community?

Like the broader higher education sector, this moment presents international education with an opportunity to reaffirm our values, examine our practices and position ourselves to meet the needs of today’s students, institutions and employers.

For example, DEI has become a political flashpoint, which has caused international education to examine what practices and policies for advancing inclusive global education are still permissible. Some have decided to stop using the acronym DEI or the phrase diversity, equity and inclusion altogether.

Whether an office or organisation decides to move away from this acronym depends on internal and external factors that are unique to that entity. While not minimising the power of language, it’s important to remember that advancing inclusive access to global education has never been about a particular acronym or set of words. It’s been about strategic action. And this action, this work, is an underlying value for the international education sector.

Despite this shifting landscape, international education’s values remain centred on access to opportunity and preparing all of today’s learners for success in diverse communities and in our interconnected world.

These values are our North Star and must guide international education’s work going forward. Our values should be backed by strategic action that leads to real world impact, not simply well-intentioned statements. To achieve this, our sector must clearly demonstrate the benefit of global education for all students, using not only inspirational narratives but, more importantly, tangible outcomes that resonate with higher education’s stakeholders.

Student success

Much of the effort to expand access to global education has centred on awareness and one-off initiatives – raising visibility around participation and support gaps or championing bespoke initiatives for diversifying involvement. This awareness work was necessary and urgent.

But awareness and standalone initiatives alone won’t drive sustainable change. To effect change, the focus must shift from awareness of why certain student populations have been under-represented and under-supported in global education to effective strategies for increasing access and advancing student success through this high-impact practice.

This shift requires an intentional and strategic approach linking global education to student and institutional success. This calls for a clear framework for aligning international education’s work to measurable student outcomes.

To support this transition, DA Global Access Network has developed a practical roadmap, a framework that helps institutions examine their practices and align global engagement with its student success goals. The model is grounded in four pillars:

• Awareness – It remains essential that we advocate for the value of global education while articulating to stakeholders the barriers that prevent access to the benefits of this high-impact practice.

• Assessment – This requires examining the policies and practices that unintentionally limit access to global education or diminish its impact. By leveraging data, institutions can identify gaps, evaluate outcomes and make informed decisions that ensure global education drives impact for all.

• Action – Assessment must lead to meaningful action. That means developing evidence-informed strategies, thoughtful deployment of technology and using innovative approaches that close access gaps, increase impact and embed global education into broader student success and career readiness efforts.

• Accountability – It’s not enough to ‘do’ global education – we must also demonstrate its results. That includes tracking student outcomes, disaggregating data to understand impact across populations and communicating the value of this work to stakeholders.

This framework offers a non-prescriptive, adaptable and scalable path forward, one grounded in the idea that global education must be both inclusive and impactful. It’s a framework for moving us beyond awareness and toward measurable impact.

Delivering on global education’s potential

Global education must evolve from a valued enrichment to a core strategy for student and institutional success. Its value lies not only in where it takes students but in how it prepares them – academically, professionally and as engaged citizens in a diverse and interconnected world.

The path forward requires courage, deeper collaboration and a willingness to re-evaluate systems and strategies long considered ‘best practices’. It means aligning global learning with institutional student success metrics. It means moving beyond well-intentioned efforts with limited impact to measurable and sustainable approaches that support all students.

In doing so, the international education sector will not only expand individual opportunity, it will prepare students and institutions to engage with the world’s most pressing challenges and emerging opportunities, from public health and migration to technological innovation and the unlocking of human potential. In this way, global education becomes a powerful catalyst for advancing the goals that shape our shared future.

The potential of global education has never been greater. Now is the time to ensure it delivers for all.

Andrew Gordon is an award-winning social impact entrepreneur and leading voice in global education, edtech, inclusive student success and workforce development. As founder of DA Global Access Network, an educational consortium and strategic partner advancing access to global opportunities, he has spent nearly two decades helping higher education institutions strengthen academic achievement, career readiness and institutional impact through access to global education.

This article is a commentary. Commentary articles are the opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of University World News.