Cardiff uni defends Kazakhstan campus amid concerns

A deal to open a new Cardiff University branch was signed with the Kazakhstani government in November 2024, and Prof Larner said "due diligence has been done diligently". She said the "large, youthful country" offered opportunities for the university as it explored more potential transnational education projects, including new ventures in Singapore and China. Many universities were looking for overseas opportunities following a decline in the number of international students applying, she said. "I think about this very simply - if the international students are not coming to us in the same number, we might need to go to them," she said. "And that's why many universities, not just Cardiff University, are exploring transnational education as part of their future." Jim Dickinson, associate editor at higher education blog Wonkhe, said transnational education was "pretty widespread and common". He said it was partly about "reputation and visibility", as well as improving research and industry links, but also "about income diversification". But he said there were "significant risks", including ensuring the quality of degrees, as well as maintaining academic freedom with different laws "around freedom of speech, limits on protest, potential limits on research".