Bis research paper number 128 The wider benefits of international higher education in the uk

5.1.5 Formal and informal alumni networks 
As noted in benefit type C5 on social benefits, almost all the alumni interviewed were still 
in touch with friends and contacts they had made during their stay in the UK, and 
especially fellow students. The vast majority were maintaining such contacts informally 
rather than through formal or ‘supported’ networks. Facebook, especially, and Linkedin 
were cited as mechanisms through which they kept in contact with other alumni, but again 
largely on an informal and personal basis rather than through groups moderated by their 
university alumni office. Twenty of the alumni specifically mentioned that they were 
involved in one or more formal alumni networks, of whom perhaps half were scholarship 
scheme alumni – which was disproportionately higher as a proportion. Their primary 
affiliation seemed to be to their scholarship scheme network rather than that of their 
university. Only half a dozen mentioned that they had taken part in alumni group events, 
such as dinners, in their home country. Notably these were not exclusively scholarship 
alumni, nor were they only from the ‘oldest’ universities such as Cambridge which have 
very established overseas local networks. 
It should be remembered that these alumni had mostly left UK HE in 2007 and 2008, and 
in some cases earlier. UK HEI alumni operations may well now be more sophisticated and 
tuned to the social networks that international alumni use, than had been the case when 
these particular alumni graduated. The level of engagement between HEIs and their more 
recent alumni could well be higher. 
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The Wider Benefits of International Higher Education in the UK 
However, the interview evidence was quite clear that far more communication between 
them was taking place informally than through channels facilitated by their HE institutions, 
and much supported by digital social media networks. On the other hand there was 
significant use of facilitated alumni support amongst those who had held major UK-funded 
scholarships.