Critical Perspectives on Transnational Higher Education

Abstract

Transnational higher education is a specific form of internationalisation which treats education as a
product which can be packaged and sold abroad. It accelerated in the 1990s, precipitated by the
marketisation of higher education, a neo-liberal economic agenda, and the forces of globalisation.
Transnational higher education, however, is not without controversy. The purpose of this article,
therefore, is to present critical perspectives on transnational higher education. It begins by outlining the rationales for transnational higher education. The article then examines the impact of transnational higher education on its various stakeholders. Finally, it enumerates the many criticisms of transnational higher education.