About Us
We are an accredited, private education provider that operates international colleges, English language centres across the UK, Europe, North America and an online learning platform to create life-enhancing experiences for students worldwide.
Founded in 1991, we have been delivering international education students for 29 years. Today, our courses help over 50,000 UK and international students achieve academic success every year.
Students can join us for every stage of their academic journey. Our Group is home to five University Partnerships across the UK and Europe, and six English Language schools across Canada, USA and the UK.
Our History
Oxford International Education Group was founded in 1991 as ISIS Education and Travel by David Brown and Robert Darell. The company started operating outbound tours for UK University students through the academic year from September to June. During the summer, we established summer English languages courses for international students.
To gain financing to grow the business, the Founders turned to the Prince’s Trust, one of the UK’s most successful youth charities. The Trust offered David and Robert a £5,000 loan and two mentors to help see the business through the next stage of its lifecycle. Oxford International has grown to be one of the top 10 businesses sponsored by the Trust and remains closely associated with it today.
The education opportunities we can offer students from around the world have grown in diversity and size since then, enabling us to support over 500,000 students since 1991.
A Brief Timeline of the last 29 years
In 1993, we established our first UK adult English language school with the acquisition of Greenwich School of English. In 1999, we opened the Brighton School of English, offering General English courses.
Oxford International added Bucksmore Education to our family to provide high-quality summer courses to individual students in 2003.
Growing our presence in the UK’s academic centre, in 2010, we were delighted to acquire Oxford Sixth Form College in the centre of Oxford next to Oriel College.
In 2013, Oxford International went international for the first time, acquiring our Vancouver and Toronto English language schools.
The same year, Oxford International was very proud to sign a Pathways partnership agreement with De Montfort University to open and run the Leicester International Pathway College (renamed to De Montfort University International College) in the heart of the great De Montfort campus. Our first students arrived in June 2014.
In 2014, we were proud to invite Bowmark Capital on board as a minority investor in Oxford International. Bowmark are very experienced investors in the education and travel sector, with their support, we were able to pursue our ambitious strategy for growth in the UK and overseas.
Also in 2014, we added San Diego to our centres in North America. Back in the UK, d’Overbroeck’s School was welcomed to the Group, and we acquired Homelingua, now known as Bucksmore Home Tuition.
In 2016 Bangor University International College welcomed its first cohort of international students. Since then, we have continued to grow our University Partnerships division with two partners in the UK and one in Germany. In 2017, International College Dundee began teaching integrated Bachelors and Masters courses. The University of Greenwich International College followed in 2018, becoming our first embedded college in London. In 2020, we launched Jacobs University International College, our first embedded college in Europe, the first of its kind in Germany.
In 2021, Oxford International strengthened its position as a premier university partnerships, digital education, and language provider through a management buyout backed by THI Investments and the sale of its schools division to Nord Anglia Education. Oxford International’s launch of the OI Digital Institute and European partnership with Jacobs University in 2020 has further developed the international education sector online and in Europe. Courses offered in the OI Digital Institute have supported over 5,000 students in achieving UK university admissions and delivered unrivalled partner services for higher education institutions.
The university partnerships division has launched a new UK pathways collaboration with the University of Bradford, while its first partnership with De Montfort University has been nominated in the PIEoneer awards for public/private partnership. The English Language division, which opened its latest language school in New York, North America, continues to enrich its academic offering by equipping students with language skills necessary for the modern-day learner.
We believe we’re just getting started and the best is yet to come. At the core of Oxford International remains an entrepreneurial spirit and a passion to deliver the very best experiences for our students.