A worldwide mapping of English-medium instruction

Other conference contribution, 2026

Prior studies mapping English-medium instruction (EMI) have generally identified growth across different regions. For example, data on EMI programmes show expansion in European higher education between 2001 and 2023/24 (Wächter & Maiworm, 2014; Wingrove et al., 2025), while a survey of British Council representatives in 55 countries suggests that EMI is rapidly expanding worldwide (Dearden, 2014). 

These studies have made important contributions to understanding the spread of EMI. However, differences in methodology, limited regional focuses, and restricted time spans mean that existing research provides only a partial and fragmented picture of the global EMI landscape. This presentation offers the findings of the first global, comprehensive and standardised mapping of EMI in higher education, answering questions such as where EMI is most prevalent, in which countries and regions, and at what levels? 

This study draws on data from Study Portals, which provides data on EMI programmes to prospective students worldwide. Descriptive data will be presented at multiple levels of granularity, including regional level, country level, and institutional level. EMI will be looked at in terms of the number of institutions offering EMI and the volume of EMI programmes in proportion to student numbers. Longitudinal analysis will show where EMI is growing, stagnating, and declining. 

Comprehensively mapping EMI is crucial for understanding how and where EMI is reshaping higher education worldwide. This has serious ethical implications concerning inclusion in, and exclusion from, global academic communities, which are increasingly stratified along linguistic lines, producing winners and losers in access, participation, and academic legitimacy. Reflecting on current trends may also hint at future trajectories: how EMI will continue to shape higher education in the years to come.