Times Higher Education to Close BMI Recruitment by 2026
The education organization will shutter its student recruitment business to prioritize its core data and subscription operations.
Updated on Oct. 30, 2026 in Higher Education
Live Poll
Will more international education firms face closure by the end of 2026?
Times Higher Education announced it will close its international student recruitment company, BMI, by the end of 2026. The move shifts the organization's focus toward its primary data and subscription-based business model.
Why it matters
This decision reflects mounting global pressure on the international student recruitment sector. The closure allows the organization to streamline its resources and concentrate on its central analytical services.
Times Higher Education acquired the recruitment firm BMI in 2022 to host student counsellor workshops and scholarship summits. The company currently maintains a leading market presence across Brazil, Latin America, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia.
The players
Times Higher Education
This organization is a major provider of higher education data, rankings, and analysis used by universities and students globally.
BMI
This company specializes in international student recruitment through organized fairs, workshops, and networking summits.
The details
BMI provides a variety of services, including international student recruitment fairs and professional networking events. By ceasing these operations, the parent company aims to pivot away from event-based recruitment and toward its core data and subscription platforms.
Timeline
Times Higher Education acquired the firm BMI in 2022.
The BMI company will officially close by the end of 2026.
Culture Shift
The closure is a direct reaction to the global pressure on the international student recruitment sector. It signals a move away from legacy event-driven models toward the data-heavy, subscription-first strategies that currently dominate academic information services.
Students and institutions who rely on BMI for recruitment fairs or scholarship summits will need to seek alternative platforms as the service winds down. Users should plan for the eventual sunset of these specific event-based services over the next two years.
The takeaway
This consolidation suggests that academic organizations are prioritizing scalable digital data products over physical event management. Professionals in the field should begin identifying alternative recruitment channels as traditional summit models face increasing disruption.
Further reading
For more on the changing landscape of global academics, visit our Higher Education section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The PIE News.
Live Poll
Will more international education firms face closure by the end of 2026?
