The Global University: Are we exporting education or exploiting students?

The Global University: Are we exporting education or exploiting students?

Tuesday, 17 February 2026 | 6pm–8pm

Westminster Theatre, Chancellor’s Building, Keele University

Over recent decades UK universities have become increasingly global, both in bringing international students to the UK and in the franchising of our programmes to be taught in other countries. But does this model have students’ best interests at heart, or is it just part of a quest for never-ending growth? In this Keele Debate we’ll be considering the moral and ethical principles that underpin global education, from agent commission to immigration policy and soft power, and asking if UK universities are exporting education for the greater good or exploiting the Global South to balance the books.