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The University of Sussex has renewed its agreement with education provider Study Group to manage the International Study Centre (ISC) on campus. 

ISCs are designed to help international students acclimatise to the UK, equipping them with the necessary skill-sets for undergraduate or postgraduate study and offering them an assured path onto an undergraduate degree or masters programme. 

ISC students at Sussex benefit from access to campus facilities while studying for their foundation or pre-masters courses, which combine academic modules, study skills and English-language training and are validated by the University. See www.studygroup.com/isc/sussex/

The Sussex ISC has more than tripled in size since it opened, growing from 100 students in 2006 to 400 in 2008, drawn from 30 countries. 

A new School of Business, Management and Economics at Sussex, set to open in August, will increase the formal provision of business courses available to its students. Business is the most popular undergraduate course with ISC students and Study Group is planning the future expansion of the ISC in order to cater for the expected rise in demand. 

The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Michael Farthing, said: "The International Study Centre has proved to be extremely successful since the project's inception in 2006. 

"We are reassured by the knowledge that the students attending the ISC are academically motivated and have a real desire to progress and excel. International students add a fantastic cultural dimension to the University environment and really fit in well to university life because of their time spent in the Centre. 

"We are looking forward to the next phase of our partnership with Study Group." 

Heith Mackay-Cruise, chief executive of Study Group, commented: "Sussex has an outstanding reputation and delivers an academic experience of the highest calibre, making the Sussex ISC hugely popular." 

The biggest intake of international students into Study Group's UK programmes is from countries with emerging economies such as China and in south-east Asia, and in particular from oil-rich nations including Russia and parts of the Middle East.