Through a New Survey, IIE Is Building the First Global Picture of International Academic Partnerships
International partnerships have become one of the defining strategies for higher education institutions seeking to expand research, student mobility, workforce development, and global engagement. Yet despite their growing importance, the field lacks reliable global data on how these partnerships are structured, managed, and evolving. Without comparable data, institutions have limited ability to benchmark their efforts, identify emerging trends, or make evidence-based decisions.
To expand the body of knowledge in this under-researched space, IIE’s Center for International Partnerships (CIP) has launched the comprehensive International Partnership Landscape Survey (IPLS), the first survey solely dedicated to understanding international partnerships in higher education on a global scale. The survey, aimed at higher education professionals, examines why institutions pursue partnerships, how they manage them, where collaboration is expanding, and what challenges and opportunities are shaping the future of international engagement. Over time, the survey will produce comparative data that can help institutions strengthen their partnership strategies and provide researchers, policymakers, and organizations with a valuable resource for understanding global trends in higher education.
The survey is being conducted in regional stages to capture both global and local perspectives. Stage 2 is now underway across East Asia and the Pacific, expanding the project’s reach while generating new insights into one of the world’s most dynamic higher education regions.
To support this effort, the CIP is collaborating with the experts at the Asia-Pacific Association for International Education (APAIE) who helped tailor the survey to reflect the region’s unique higher education landscape and partnership ecosystem. APAIE will also lead outreach efforts throughout East Asia and the Pacific, helping to ensure broad institutional participation and robust regional data. Together, IIE and APAIE aim to deepen understanding of how institutions can build stronger, more sustainable, and more impactful international partnerships.
The survey builds on the success of Stage 1, which launched in fall 2025 and gathered responses from higher education institutions in Canada, Europe, and the United States. The Stage 1 responses suggest that international partnerships are becoming more strategic, more institutionally integrated, and more closely aligned with long-term organizational priorities.
Three themes emerged from the initial data.
- First, institutions are professionalizing partnership management. More than half of respondents reported having a dedicated institutional partnership manager, while 80% maintain centralized databases to track international partnerships. These findings suggest that institutions increasingly view partnerships as a strategic institutional function supported by dedicated leadership and infrastructure.
- Second, institutions are expanding their geographic engagement. More than half of respondents reported maintaining partnerships in every region of the world, reflecting a broad commitment to global collaboration.
- Finally, partnerships themselves are becoming more multifaceted. Once centered primarily on student mobility, they now frequently encompass collaborative research, faculty exchanges, virtual learning, institutional planning, and shared outreach initiatives. This evolution reflects a broader understanding of partnerships as long-term strategic relationships that support multiple dimensions of institutional success.
Higher education institutions across East Asia and the Pacific are encouraged to participate in Stage 2 of the IIE International Partnership Landscape Survey, which remains open through October 1, 2026. Access the survey here to participate. By sharing their experiences, institutions will help to build a richer understanding of international partnerships and strengthen the evidence base that supports global higher education collaboration for years to come.
IIE gratefully acknowledges the expertise and dedication of the survey leads and the International Partnership Landscape Survey Advisory Council, whose guidance have been instrumental in developing the survey.
Survey Leads
- Sylvia Jons, Director, IIE Center for International Partnerships
- Susan Buck Sutton, IIE Center for International Partnerships Fellow
- Cori Crisfield, Manager, IIE Center for International Partnerships
- Kari Kuja, Senior Advisor to the CEO, IIE
Advisory Council
- Jane Gatewood, Vice Provost for Global Engagement and Services, Emory University
- Robin Matross Helms, Vice President, Membership & Educational Services, The Association of Community Colleges Trustees (ACCT)
- Jody Hoekstra-Selten, Knowledge Development Officer, European Association for International Education (EAIE)
- Chad Hoseth, Assistant Vice Provost of International Affairs, Colorado State University
- Louise Kinnaird, Executive Director, APAIE
- Bill Lacy, Vice Provost Emeritus for University Outreach and International Programs, University of California Davis
- Giorgio Marinoni, Manager of Higher Education and Internationalization, International Association of Universities
- Mirka Martel, Head of Research, Evaluation & Learning, IIE