NCUK named Pathway Provider of the Year at the Education Investor Awards 2026
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NCUK is pleased to announce that it has won the Pathway Provider of the Year award at the Education Investor Awards 2026. Our recognition of this award is a testament to our role in widening access to international higher education for students across the globe through high-quality pathway provision.
The award marks another significant moment for NCUK this year, following its receipt of the King’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade. Together, these achievements strengthen NCUK’s position as one of the UK’s leading transnational education providers.
At the heart of NCUK’s work is a clear purpose: to open up access to international education for students around the world. Through a global network of quality-assured Study Centres, NCUK enables students to begin their international education closer to home, with pathways that prepare them for progression to leading universities.
More than 50,000 students from over 120 nationalities have progressed through NCUK programmes. Today, NCUK works with more than 140 Study Centres across 40 countries, offering routes to over 80 universities worldwide, including Russell Group institutions and universities ranked in the QS World Top 100 and 200.
NCUK provides a flexible pathway ecosystem designed around how students, institutions and international education markets now operate. Its qualifications support students from pre-university preparation through to degree-level study, enabling them to progress overseas, complete part of their degree locally or, work towards a full UK degree in their home country. For students, this means greater choice and flexibility. For institutions and universities, it creates scalable, quality-assured models for widening access to international higher education.
This model creates value across the education ecosystem. Students gain preparation, confidence and choice. Study Centres gain quality-assured qualifications, academic support and international progression opportunities.
Universities gain a pipeline of well-prepared international students. Governments and local education systems benefit from models that support skills development, retain talent and strengthen international education capacity.
NCUK’s model is underpinned by academic quality, robust assessment, quality assurance and strong university relationships, ensuring students are not only able to access international education, but are also prepared to succeed when they get there.
Being named Pathway Provider of the Year is a proud moment for NCUK and for everyone across our global network. To receive this recognition in the same year we were honoured with the King’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade makes it all the more meaningful. It reflects the dedication of our Study Centres, University Partners and colleagues who work every day to help students access life-changing opportunities.
Stuart Smith, Chief Executive Officer at NCUK
As demand for flexible transnational education grows, NCUK is focused on expanding its global reach, deepening university partnerships and developing models that support student mobility, local delivery and international progression, and welcomes conversations with universities, education providers, governments and institutions interested in developing pathway, progression and transnational education partnerships that open up new opportunities for students around the world.