Survival and withdrawal of international branch campuses: a systematic literature review from Business Model Canvas

Ayako Morohoshi, Takashi Sekiyama

The global expansion of international branch campuses (IBCs) has been accompanied by a high rate of institutional withdrawal and closure, yet systematic, management-oriented analyses that distinguish long-term sustainability from failure remain limited. This study aims to identify, categorize, and structure the determinants of IBC sustainability and withdrawal from a business management perspective. Following the PRISMA protocol, this study conducted a systematic literature review of 106 academic and grey literature sources published between 1990 and 2025, analyzed through the lens of the Business Model Canvas. The Business Model Canvas framework reveals important managerial dimensions that remain underexplored in the existing literature. In particular, while student enrollment is framed as a critical outcome, the operational “how”—specifically, the marketing channels, recruitment processes, and financial planning that underpin it—remain severely undertheorized. The analysis shows that research has focused on what IBCs should do (e.g., maintain quality, secure partnerships) but offers little insight into how they can managerially execute these tasks. The review also highlights limited attention to the relationships among recruitment channels, marketing expenditures, cost structures, revenue generation, and broader stakeholder linkages beyond the home–host institutional relationship. Current IBC research does not yet provide a fully comprehensive or balanced account of institutional operations and sustainability. By applying the Business Model Canvas, this study offers a structured framework for identifying overlooked managerial dimensions and clarifying where future research is most needed. The findings contribute not only to the academic literature on higher education and business management but also to practical and policy discussions on how universities may develop more effective strategies for global expansion.