In the midst of job cuts, here are all the Russell Group unis with boujie campuses abroad

Russell Group universities have long been seen as some of the most prestigious places to study in the world, drawing hordes of international students to the UK. Some of them have taken internationalisation one step further and opened campuses in other countries, complete with their own state of the art buildings and specialised degree programmes.

Whether they want to gain more international prestige or simply boost their bank accounts, it’s a risky move. Many international branch campuses have failed after draining university funds, such as UCL’s now-closed branches in Kazakhstan, Australia and Qatar.

Despite this, some have succeeded (or at least managed to stay open until now), inspiring other universities to make the same move. Here’s a list of all of the Russell Group unis with international campuses.

University of Birmingham – United Arab Emirates

via Google Maps

Birmingham’s Dubai branch first welcomed students back in 2018, and has since moved into its own swanky campus, opened in the presence of the Crown Prince of Dubai. The campus won a Special Prize in the Prix Versailles 2022 global architecture and design awards, and hosted a series of events as part of the UN’s 2023 UN Climate Change Conference.

University of Liverpool – China

via Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

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Liverpool’s joint venture with Xi’an Jiaotong University offers over 100 degree programmes in a variety of fields, all taught in English. Graduates earn not one, but two degrees: One from Liverpool and one from China’s Ministry of Education. In 2023, 36.11 per cent of the joint institution’s graduates entered postgraduate programmes at the world’s top 10 universities – that’s a bigger percentage than Oxford’s total for students pursuing further study at any institution.

Newcastle University – Malaysia and Singapore

Newcastle’s international presence is a bit more subject specific: Its campus in Malaysia is a medical school rather than a full blown university, offering two undergraduate programmes in medicine and biomedical Sciences. In Singapore, it offers a selection of engineering programmes in partnership with the Singapore Institute of Technology. The university is also reportedly considering opening a new campus in India, despite its huge financial deficit and job cuts back home.

University of Nottingham – China and Malaysia

via Unsplash

Out of all the Russell Group unis with international campuses, Nottingham was a trailblazer in international branch campuses: Its Malaysia branch was the UK’s first purpose built international campus, and its campus in Ningbo was the first foreign university to be established in China. Both branches have thousands of students enrolled on a wide variety of undergraduate and postgraduate courses, with impressive campuses to boot.

Queen Mary University of London – Malta

via Queen Mary University of London

As well as running joint programmes with universities in France and China, QMUL has its own purpose built campus in Malta. Like Newcastle’s Malaysia branch, it only offers medical degrees, at an eye watering €37,500 per year (about £31,500).

UK students who want to study there are ineligible to receive any student loans, and fees have to be paid in full each academic year – no wonder other unis looking to pad their wallets are following suit.

Queen’s University Belfast – China

via YouTube

In 2014, Queen’s established a joint college with China Medical University. The college offers undergraduate programmes in pharmaceutical science and pharmaceutical biotechnology, taught in English, allowing Chinese students to earn a UK pharmaceutical degree without having to leave China.

Queen’s also announced plans earlier this year to open a campus in India’s Gujarat International Finance Tec City. The new campus will receive £5 to £7 million from the university, despite its £12.7 million operating deficit last year.

University of Southampton – India and Malaysia

via University of Southampton

Opened in 2021, Southampton’s Malaysia campus offers a variety of degree programmes, mostly in scientific and financial disciplines. Students can choose to take their whole degree in Malaysia, or split their studies between Malaysia and the UK. Last year, Southampton became the first UK university to  establish a campus in India, which will open its doors to students for the first time this August.

Featured image via Unsplash, Google Maps and Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University