University reveals ‘designs’ to capture greater share of Southeast Asian market

Representatives of the Raffles College of Higher Education (CHE) in Singapore gathered at the University of Northampton (UON) this month to sign a memorandum of cooperation (MoC) which will see more students enrolled on UK programmes.

The MoC will see 10 UON programmes delivered by Raffles CHE spanning disciplines such as fashion, game design, marketing, and international business.

UON Vice Chancellor and CEO, Professor Anne-Marie Kilday, said: “Singapore is becoming the go-to destination for tens of thousands of students from across the entire Southeast Asia region.

“Now, a longstanding academic collaboration between our Design programmes has blossomed into a deeper commitment to each other.

“Raffles CHE has strong brand recognition in the region, and this partnership will provide an opportunity for UON to build its own brand in a global destination for fashion and design.

“Not only does this agreement strengthen UON’s strategic position, it also means more opportunities for students at both institutions to access a rapidly moving, global market for experience and jobs.”

Kai Ong, Senior Vice President (Singapore) of the Raffles Education Corporation, said: “The relationship between Raffles CHE and UON began when the College had the privilege of having Ms Vicki Dean from UON as the appointed External Examiner for Raffles Fashion Design programme in 2017.

“The academic exchange between both institutions has been robust, and building on the strong foundation of this relationship, the College is pleased to partner with the University to deliver the suite of UON undergraduate and postgraduate programmes with effect from October 2025.

“Together, we look forward to a successful partnership by Design!”

In recent years Singapore has established itself as an educational hub for students from China and Southeast Asia with more than half the 50,000 international students in Singapore enrolled on UK programmes.

Singapore is now the UK’s fourth-largest transnational educational market, with over 26,000 students enrolled in UK programmes in the 2020/21 academic year—behind only China (61,495), Malaysia (48,460), and Sri Lanka (37,175). In the wider region, 190,000 students are studying transnationally.

To find out more visit our Partners webpage.