Four of Asia’s top branch campuses

Higher education is increasingly international. Since the 2000s, high-ranking universities in Australia and the UK have been setting up foreign campuses abroad. Many are in Asia’s top cities, chosen to provide students a win-win situation on many fronts: proximity and price, with no compromise on quality.

For example, a Chinese student might want to pursue a UK degree without having to leave Beijing. Or a Malaysian student might want to pursue an American pre-university programme in Singapore, before completing their studies in the US. All this and more have been made possible by branch campuses and the various pathway programmes they offer.

In the 2018-19 academic year, more than 15,000 international students started a degree course in Year Two or later at UK universities, without having previously studied at a UK campus, according to a recent study by the British Council and Universities UK International. At some of the institutions with the largest cohorts of international year 2+ entrants, most of these entrants came through transnational education activities such as an overseas branch campus. 

Their popularity is understandable. Studying at home means avoiding increasingly fussy visa regimes and saving money — yet, qualifications are conferred by and held to the same standards of excellence of the home campuses. Here are some of Asia’s top branch campuses, delivering quality education in collaboration with some of the world’s finest universities:

University of Nottingham Ningbo China

China’s first Sino-foreign university, a diverse and thriving campus community, over 40% of postgraduate students awarded entry-based scholarships — the University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC) offers a distinctive UK education, incorporating the best of its location at the heart of East Asia.

At this Top 100 university, 29 undergraduate courses and 18 postgraduate taught courses produce more than just academically qualified graduates. They provide transferable skills, a creative outlook and a fresh perspective — an invaluable combination that makes them in demand by employers around the globe. All courses are delivered in English and taught by faculty members either seconded from or appointed to the standards of the University of Nottingham.

The setting for this truly international education? A campus of over 8,000 students, where about 60 countries and regions around the world are represented. Such diversity lends a cosmopolitan edge to its 144 acre (584,666m²) campus in Ningbo, Zhejiang province — a 7,000-year-old city with a fascinating identity and history. More than 70 societies and 20 service-oriented student organisations enliven the campus still. To further supplement the global experience in and beyond UNNC’s classrooms are study abroad programmes that span across 40 countries and regions.

Various scholarships and financial plans for exceptional degree programme applicants are available at UNNC. To find out more about UNNC’s unique advantages, click here.

Duke-NUS Medical School Singapore

Duke-NUS is Singapore’s only graduate-entry medical school, established as a landmark collaboration between two elite higher education institutions — Duke University and the National University of Singapore (NUS). Here, the brightest minds from a diverse range of backgrounds are nurtured to not only be exemplary clinicians but also influential leaders who advance the practice and science behind medicine.

Education from Duke-NUS is impactful — an attribute that attracts entrepreneurial students who desire unconventional paths. Talents from all walks of life, such as arts and humanities graduates to engineers, pharmacists, lawyers, bankers and more, stand to gain highly tangible outcomes through translational research here, as well as a global view that integrates research and clinical application.

As the COVID-19 pandemic has revealed, medical training that is solely focused on treating diseases will only result in knowledge gaps. That’s not the case with Duke-NUS’ “Clinician First, Clinician Plus” approach to medical training. Their MD, MD-PhD and PhD curricula are innovative and future-forward, incorporating additional elements of healthcare practice such as patient safety, quality improvement, systems thinking and healthcare leadership.

Access to some of the world’s most sophisticated biomedical research facilities complement these education initiatives. World-class scientists are transforming our understanding of diseases and improving lives at Duke-NUS’ Centres, which are dedicated to investigating key issues faced by societies in the region and beyond, including ageing. The five world-class Signature Research Programmes offered at Duke-NUS include Cancer and Stem Cell Biology, Neuroscience and Behavioural Disorders, Cardiovascular and Metabolic Disorders, Emerging Infectious Diseases and Health Services and Systems Research.

The Duke-NUS campus is located on the grounds of Singapore General Hospital (SGH), which is the country’s first and largest hospital. For the past two years, SGH has also been ranked one of the top 10 best hospitals in the world. SGH is part of the Singapore Health Services (SingHealth) cluster of healthcare institutions — the largest healthcare group in Singapore — that delivers multidisciplinary care among 42 clinical specialties across a large network of hospitals, national specialty centres and polyclinics.

Duke-NUS is also in a dynamic partnership with SingHealth, allowing students to benefit further from their joint capabilities and infrastructure. The SingHealth Duke-NUS Academic Medical Centre merges the school’s medical education and research capabilities with the group’s clinical expertise. Together, healthcare is improved, patient outcomes are advanced and clinical care, education and research are integrated.

World-renowned pedagogy, internationally-recognised research, cutting-edge Academic Medicine, sophisticated facilities — these are the factors that define Duke-NUS. To find out more about how this top medical school will empower you to transform medicine and improve lives, click here.

Monash University Malaysia

Established in 1998, Monash University Malaysia is the third largest campus of Australia’s largest university. It is also the first foreign campus to set up in Malaysia. This research-intensive university is ranked among the top 100 universities in the world by the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, and a proud member of the Group of Eight, an alliance of leading Australian universities recognised for their excellence in teaching and research.

Monash’s KL outpost is a bustling hub of opportunity. It is home to approximately 8,400 students from 78 countries, a culturally-rich environment with excellent catering facilities, food outlets, gymnasium and outdoor swimming pool. Students are taught by highly qualified academic staff members from across the world that uphold the same rigorous standards applied at the rest of Monash’s thriving campuses in the continents of Australia, Asia and Europe. 

With more than 100 partner universities across the globe, Monash University Malaysia is globally-connected in more ways than one. The university has established strong links with industries and governments as a platform for research and education engagement within Southeast Asia and beyond. In other words, Monash University Malaysia is offering the very best in higher education that is possible within Malaysia and the region.

RMIT University Vietnam 

Founded in 2000, RMIT Vietnam brings a world-class education and globalised study environment to one of the fastest growing regions in Asia, through two well-equipped campuses in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. The university is Australia’s largest tertiary institution, enjoying an international reputation for excellence in professional and vocational education, applied research and engagement — fully in line with the needs of industries and its community. 

The university offers programmes in business administration, economics and finance, communication, design, fashion, languages, engineering and more. Its extensive and impressive range of extracurricular activities encourage students to break new ground in their areas of interest. At this international learning environment, over 7,000 students receive all the support and facilities they need to gain cultural awareness, skills in critical thinking, experimentation, creativity and more. 

RMIT Vietnam students graduate with a degree from RMIT Melbourne, a qualification well-known among recruiters for excellence in higher education, inclusive teaching, comprehensive career services and exciting study abroad options. Data shows 96% of RMIT graduates secure full-time jobs within a year of graduating from this top 1% university. 

*Some of the institutions featured in this article are commercial partners of Study International