Factors that influence the success of International Branch Campuses: An Australian/Indonesian case study

Establishing a university International Branch Campus (IBC) is considered a normal part of a university’s business to grow student numbers and to build their international reputation. Furthermore, establishing an IBC is not a new phenomenon; Florida State University has offered programs from an IBC in Panama since 1933 (Borgos, 2016; Lane, 2011a).

The literature to date identifies that establishing an IBC is potentially one of the most risky and unexplored models of entering the international higher education market (Cai, Hölttä, & Lindholm, 2013; Clifford, 2015; Healey, 2016; Wood, 2017). Yet given this is highly risky business, there is limited research and information to guide a university and its staff to try and establish an IBC. Using a case study, I will identify the success factors to establish an IBC in Indonesia, including the role personal relationships/ networks have in policy and decision-making to establish an IBC and the role that culture and community have in welcoming and discouraging IBC.