How are universities balancing ambition with reality in EMI?

QS MidWeek Brief - August 20, 2025

Welcome! For better or worse, English has solidified its position as the lingua franca of higher education internationalisation. It’s difficult to travel to any international education conference and not hear the bulk of sessions in English, regardless of whether it’s even a recognised language of the host country.

But English as the Medium of Instruction comes with its downsides, as well as outright criticism. This week, we look at the challenges of implementing EMI courses in a non-English speaking countries, some of the pitfalls institutions fall in to, and how to overcome them. We also visit Mexico to discover how they’re taking advantage of the AI boom.

Stay insightful,
Anton John Crace
Editor, QS Insights Magazine, QS

English Takes Centre Stage

By Gauri Kohli

In Brief

• English-Medium Instruction (EMI) has become a strategic imperative for non-Anglophone universities globally, serving as a passport to global academic relevance and a magnet for international students.
• Driven by the allure of global prestige and university rankings, EMI aims to boost international profiles. However, its implementation often faces challenges, including inadequate faculty preparation.
• EMI is now an embedded feature, but its future success hinges on a critical shift "from quantity to quality," embracing nuanced, hybrid models like bilingual approaches.

For many universities, English-Medium Instruction (EMI) is not just an option but a strategic imperative. It acts as a powerful magnet for attracting international students who might otherwise be deterred by language barriers, and it serves as a key domestic tool to prepare local graduates for a globalised workforce.

With more than five million students now studying abroad globally, EMI has been widely adopted in many non-Anglophone countries across Asia, Europe, South America and other regions as a strategy to simultaneously enhance students’ English language skills and deepen their subject knowledge.

Even non-English-speaking countries have used EMI in academic programmes at university-level including Ethiopia, Rwanda and Algeria, with the last two switching from French to English in higher education in recent years.

Several nations now host universities and branch campuses where English is the primary language of instruction, including entire graduate programmes. For instance, multiple universities in China offer MBA programmes taught entirely in English. Nations such as Kazakhstan, Russia, Georgia and many others have introduced English-taught programmes for international students in courses such as medicine.

Traditionally known for preserving their linguistic and cultural identity, France and Italy have historically favoured instruction in their own languages in universities over the use of English in higher education. Yet, even these countries have begun to shift, with a growing number of English-medium courses now offered. In recent years, higher education institutions in non-Anglophone Europe have seen a dramatic increase by more than 1,000 percent in English-taught programmes.

The Lure of Global Prestige
At its core, the adoption of EMI is a calculated move to climb the ladder of global higher education. “EMI functions as a key driver of internationalisation by helping institutions align with global academic norms and attract international students,” explains Kyuseok Kim, Seoul Center Director for the Institute for the International Education of Students (IES) Abroad. In countries like South Korea, he notes, the rapid expansion of English-track programmes reflects both national policy ambitions and a fierce institutional desire for a competitive edge.

This ambition is inextricably linked to the influential world of university rankings. “EMI significantly boosts a university’s international profile, as rankings often reward indicators linked to English-taught courses and global engagement,” Kim adds.

Jack Pun, an Associate Professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), agrees, stating that EMI contributes to rankings by facilitating international student recruitment, boosting English-language publications, and supporting faculty mobility.

However, Professor Anna Kristina Hultgren of The Open University, UK, offers a more critical perspective. She argues that the EMI phenomenon cannot be understood outside the context of decades of governance reforms that have fundamentally altered the mission of universities. These reforms, she suggests, have pushed an agenda of “students as consumers, universities as businesses and higher education systems as competitive markets.” From this viewpoint, EMI is less an organic educational development and more a pragmatic response to a political choice to change the core mission of universities to align with corporations.

Professor Hultgren contends that the narrative of EMI as an “unstoppable train” obscures the agency and decisions driving it. “Far from being inevitable,” she asserts, “the underlying processes that drive it are a political choice.”

This strategic push is visible across the globe. In Europe, Professor Hultgren and her collaborators’ research reveals that English-taught programmes have grown approximately threefold in the last decade, expanding from a Nordic concentration to become a pan-European phenomenon.

Geographically, the high-EMI regions in Europe are the Nordic Countries and Central West Europe, according to Professor Hultgren’s research, lead-authored by Peter Wingrove. “However, while the Nordic countries have maintained their lead, there are indications that EMI growth may have plateaued. Over the last decade, South West Europe and Central East Europe have emerged as high-growth regions, currently approximating the European average. The Baltic countries and South East Europe (with some exceptions) typically have fewer HEIs offering EMI but have still seen growth over the last ten years,” she tells QS Insights Magazine.

Professor Hultgren, who is also the principal investigator of a recent study on English as a Medium of Instruction in European Higher Education for UK Research and Innovation, says it is yet to be seen whether they will eventually catch up with the current European average of approximately half of all HEIs offering EMI.

“EMI is mostly practised at the master’s level. We also discuss the theoretical and methodological implications for future research operationalising and measuring EMI growth,” she notes.

In Asia, Professor Pun points to rapid expansion in Hong Kong, China and Malaysia, often backed by government incentives like China’s “Double First Class” initiative. Whether driven by rankings, market forces, or national policy, English has become the default language of internationalisation.

Ambition and Reality
While the strategic goals are clear, the reality on the ground is often fraught with challenges. The most significant hurdle is whether universities are truly equipped to deliver high-quality education in a second language. Experts agree that institutional readiness varies dramatically, creating a landscape of uneven quality.

“Many universities adopted EMI before ensuring adequate faculty preparation, leading to mixed outcomes in teaching quality,” says Kim. This gap between policy and practice is a recurring theme. Professor Hultgren puts it more bluntly, stating that EMI is often just “dumped on faculty and students” who are ill-prepared for the transition. Lecturers may lack the specific pedagogical skills needed for a multilingual classroom, even if they have functional English proficiency.

The problem of transitioning to a multilingual classroom is systemic. While elite universities may invest in professional development and recruit faculty with international experience, many other institutions rely on existing staff who may not have been trained to teach complex subjects in English. “This gap between policy ambition and teaching reality is particularly evident in contexts where EMI expansion was driven by external rankings or funding incentives,” Kim observes.

Language support systems for both students and faculty, which are crucial for a successful transition, are often “fragmented and underdeveloped,” according to Kim. Professor Pun echoes this, noting that while some institutions offer language centres and workshops, this support is often optional rather than integrated. The result can be a classroom environment where comprehension suffers, participation dwindles and anxiety rises for both local and international students. Without sustained investment in faculty training and robust support structures, Kim warns, EMI risks becoming a “symbolic gesture rather than a meaningful transformation.”

Gauri Kohli specialises in writing and reporting on higher education news, including analysis on higher education trends, policies and the edtech sector. Her writing focuses on international education, study abroad, student recruitment trends and policies, with focus on India as a market. She has also covered workplace and hiring trends, corporate practices, work-life features, startup trends and developments, real estate for leading publications and media houses in India and abroad for the last 18 years, including Hindustan Times, a leading national daily newspaper in India.

Mexico’s AI Talent Pipeline Accelerates

By Niamh Ollerton

In Brief

• Mexico's universities are rapidly expanding, with 43 new AI degree programmes to meet surging demand from industries and students seeking future-proof careers.
• Public and private institutions like are driving this shift, as over 40% of Mexican companies already use AI and job offers in the field soared by 95% in 2023.
• Despite challenges like faculty recruitment and funding gaps, this AI education boom, supported by strong public sentiment towards science, positions Mexico to become a global leader in AI innovation and talent.

Mexico’s higher education system is undergoing a striking transformation.

Just a few years ago, degree programmes explicitly dedicated to AI were rare. However, according to data from the National Association of Universities and Institutions of Higher Education (ANUIES), there are now 43 AI-focused degree programmes, 24 at undergraduate level and 19 at graduate level, across the country serving approximately 3,600 students.

The increase of specialised AI programmes seems to be answering the call for AI growth in industry. According to the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI) more than 40 percent of Mexican companies already use AI-based solutions in their daily operations. As industries increasingly adapt to the demands of the digital era, so does the need for AI-literate professionals.

Universities in Mexico are responding to the demand, building curricula that prepare students not just to understand AI, but to shape its application in ways that benefit Mexico’s economy and society.

Public and Private Institutions Driving Change

Public heavyweights Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN) and the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) are making significant moves in the space.

IPN, long known for its STEM leadership launched an undergraduate degree in Artificial Intelligence Engineering, signalling the importance of enhancing AI knowledge in its academic mission today.

UNAM is currently leveraging its vast research infrastructure, including the “Miztli” supercomputer to support AI research projects across disciplines.

And although UNAM doesn’t explicitly offer an AI-dedicated programme, its recently partnered with Google to launch a 150-hour diploma to strengthen AI and data skills, supporting Mexico's shift toward a tech-driven economy.

Private universities have been equally ambitious with AI too. Tecnológico de Monterrey has embedded AI into its innovation and entrepreneurship-focused culture, offering applied AI programmes that encourage interdisciplinary collaboration.

Universidad Iberoamericana integrates ethical considerations into its AI curriculum, ensuring graduates can navigate the complex societal implications of emerging technologies.

Universidad Panamericana offers a Bachelor of Engineering in Artificial Intelligence, combining technical foundations with exposure to cybersecurity, robotics and autonomous systems.

Regional Expansion Beyond the Capital
Implementation isn’t reserved for the capital city, demonstrating the significance of this wave of AI education across the country.

Mexico City remains a hub, but regional universities such as the University of Guadalajara (UdeG), Autonomous University of Querétaro (UAQ), Autonomous University of Baja California (UABC) and Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla (BUAP) have all begun introducing AI-related programmes.

Expanding into industrially-dynamic states such as Querétaro, Nuevo León and Jalisco was a strategic choice. These regions host advanced manufacturing, aerospace and technology clusters that increasingly rely on AI-driven processes as we move further into the digital era.

Universities offering localised access to AI education have advantage against the competition in their regional economies by retaining talent, while also preparing students and graduates for national demand.

The Forces Behind the Growth
A combination of factors is fuelling the expansion in AI, the first being undeniable industry demand.

Over two-fifths of companies already use AI tools, meaning hiring graduates who can develop, implement and maintain AI solutions from day one offers organisations a competitive advantage.

Evolving government policy has also been a driving force. National strategies to promote innovation and digital transformation, often in partnership with universities, are incentivising institutions to invest in AI research and teaching.

In 2024, Microsoft announced it would invest US$1.3 billion in Mexico to strengthen the country’s cloud and AI infrastructure through the Artificial Intelligence National Skills Initiative.

The initiative aims to train 5 million people on the appropriate use of AI tools for three years, making it a considerable opportunity considering that job offers related to AI and data science in Mexico grew by 95 percent in 2023, according to Jorge Torres, Director of the School of Engineering and Technology at the International University of La Rioja (UNIR).

Universities recognise that AI is not just another subject area, but a discipline that intersects with virtually every field, from law to medicine to social sciences. By positioning themselves early as leaders in AI education, institutions aim to attract top students, strengthen international partnerships, and enhance their global rankings.

Niamh Ollerton is a Press Association NCTJ trained journalist and has been a writer, content creator and editor for 10 years for organisations within Higher Education, startups and scaleups and tech industry spaces including QS, Tech Nation and MSN. A storyteller by trade and a people person by nature, Niamh enjoys learning about the inner workings of businesses and what makes the people who run and grow them tick - bringing their stories to life both online and in print.