Insights into international branch campuses: Mapping trends through a systematic review

Abstract This study analyzes international branch campus (IBC) literature trends from 1960 to 2017 through a systematic review of the different research approaches, views, and positions to map the global scientific production. Over the last two decades, universities worldwide have opened branch campuses abroad, reaching a peak of 249 across thirty-three countries in January 2017. In fact, international studies and surveys have identified a 26% increase over the last five years as well as a concentration of the industry. Since 2017, the emergent field of IBC has experienced a geometric growth regarding the number of academic publications on this topic. The results of the review indicate an i…