Geopolitics and multipolarisation in international education

Event details

International education has long been intertwined with geopolitics, but it is now being reshaped by a shift toward multipolarisation. No longer dominated by a small group of traditional destinations, the global landscape is becoming increasingly decentralised, with multiple countries and regions emerging as influential education hubs.

This presentation examines how geopolitical dynamics, including rising inward-looking nationalism, migration control and the securitisation of research, are accelerating this transition and reconfiguring patterns of student mobility, knowledge exchange and institutional collaboration. In doing so, it highlights how geopolitics both drives and intersects with processes of multipolarisation.

In this evolving context, transnational education (TNE) plays a pivotal role. As mobility becomes more constrained and politically mediated, universities and governments are expanding offshore campuses, TNE partnerships and hybrid delivery models to provide education across borders. At the same time, countries in Asia, the Middle East, and beyond are investing in education hubs to strengthen regional positioning, attract and retain students, nurture talent and enhance their international influence.

This presentation discusses how geopolitics intersects with multipolarisation in reshaping international education, including systems of mobility, knowledge exchange, research collaboration and institutional engagement. Understanding international education as a multipolar and politically embedded system is essential for navigating its future and ensuring more reciprocal and sustainable global engagement.

Biography

Ly Thi Tran is a Professor in the School of Education and Research for Educational Impact (REDI) centre, Deakin University, Australia. Her research focuses on international education, student mobilities and regional engagement, graduate employability, and the education-work-migration nexus.

Her latest books include Australian student mobility to the Indo-Pacific through the New Colombo Plan (Routledge), East and Southeast perspectives on the internationalisation of higher education (Routledge) and Internationalisation of the Curriculum: A Comparative Perspective across Australian and Vietnamese Universities (Routledge).

She was named as one of Australia and ASEAN ‘Top 50’ voices on international education 2023. She received the Inaugural Melbourne Asia Game Changer Award from Asia Society Australia, and the Inaugural Shining Star Achievement in Research Award in the Noam Chomsky Global Connections Awards. She also received the International Education Association of Australia's Excellence Awards for Innovation/Best Practice in International Education and for Professional Commentary in International Education.

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