The determinants of international branch campuses

We apply the gravity model of international trade to country-level panel data on branch campus establishments and closures from 2007-2016. Accordingly, we arrive at the first elasticity estimates of the determinants of international trade in branch campuses, contributing to research in higher education and international trade in services. Our results suggest that, along with several gravity model control variables to trade in branch campuses the exporting country's university rankings, the host country's regulatory regime, and the presence of an education hub are particularly significant factors. Furthermore, we show that country development classifications affect the salience of some determinants. Finally, we demonstrate the robustness of our benchmark model with a variety of alternative model specifications. In addition to supporting academic endeavors, higher education institutions and host country governments will benefit from the insight our study provides when crafting programs and policies designed to improve their position in the higher education market.