Embedded International Pathways College

Ulster University wishes to enter into a contractual arrangement with an experienced third party provider to establish an embedded International Pathway College ("IPC") on its Belfast campus to deliver educational study programmes to international students to equip them with the skills/qualifications required to enrol on an undergraduate or postgraduate course at Ulster University. This presents an exciting opportunity for a suitably experienced and innovative partner to enter into a contractual agreement with Ulster University to realise its ambitions for the IPC. The partner will be responsible for the operational running of the IPC, delivering programmes, promoting the college, recruitment of international students, administration of admissions and providing teaching services.

Ulster University wishes to enter into a contractual arrangement with an experienced third party provider to establish an embedded International Pathway College ("IPC") on its Belfast campus to deliver educational study programmes to international students to equip them with the skills/qualifications required to enrol on an undergraduate or postgraduate course at Ulster University. This presents an exciting opportunity for a suitably experienced and innovative partner to enter into a contractual agreement with Ulster University to realise its ambitions for the IPC. The partner will be responsible for the operational running of the IPC, delivering programmes, promoting the college, recruitment of international students, administration of admissions and providing teaching services. The IPC will support the University's ambition to significantly increase the number of international students. To achieve this vision, it is envisaged that the IPC will be established in partnership with a private provider; be physically embedded in Ulster University's Belfast campus; and be established such that the IPC students will have appropriate rights and access to the University's facilities such as library, laboratories, studios, classrooms and student accommodation. It is intended that the relationship will facilitate a successful collaboration between the two entities, creating a true partnership with the shared ambition of maximising the success of the IPC. To realise this, the parties will enter into a contractual arrangement, the exact terms of which it is anticipated may form part of any negotiations undertaken during the procurement process. The key objective of this competition is to run a competitive procurement process for the University to select a private partner with whom it can enter into the contractual arrangement to set up and run an IPC on the Belfast campus. The exact programmes to be provided at the IPC will be developed by the successful tenderer in collaboration with the University, driven by market demand and business intelligence. It is anticipated, however, that the IPC will provide Foundation Year, International Year One and Pre-Masters programs leading to further study at the University on undergraduate degree and master’s programmes in a range of disciplines across the four faculties: (a) Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences; (b) Business; (c) Computing, Engineering and the Built Environment; and (d) Life and Health Sciences. It is anticipated that the first cohort of students will be recruited for September 2026 intake. The appointed partner will contribute expertise in successfully delivering embedded colleges for other further education institutions and the drive, determination and innovation to ensure that the IPC in Belfast is marketed and promoted successfully and effectively to the global student market, and fully aligns with Ulster University's internationalisation priorities. The University will contribute the teaching and administrative facilities required to operate the IPC; support for the partner to maximise the IPC success; and seeking to create a true partnership to optimise benefits for both parties.

The University has estimated the potential value of the opportunity as being in the range of £58 - £66 million over the entire potential duration of the contractual arrangement. However, the University does not provide any commitment or guarantee in that regard. The potential value of the opportunity will be heavily dependent on the partner’s contribution to the IPC and in particular, its recruitment efforts. A copy of the procurement pack which provides further information about this opportunity is available for download via the Portal.