Following the launch of an innovative partnership, Arden University - a leading UK-based provider of flexible, online and blended learning - and Roots IVY International College (RIIC)/ICMS have welcomed their first intake of new students at the ICMS Lahore Campus.

These programmes are the outcome of an exclusive partnership between RIIC/ICMS, Pakistan’s pioneering trans-national education provider and UK-based Arden University, one of the few specialist international digital first learning universities to have launched in the last 50 years.

The courses will give students in Pakistan the ability to gain a UK degree in subjects including computing and business via Arden University’s popular and well-received blended learning platform, with in-person teaching taking place on Roots IVY’s campuses initially with ICMS in Lahore and extended to Roots Ivy in Islamabad in November, with plans in place to extend this to Lahore and Faisalabad early next year. 

The partnership marks the ongoing growth and commitment Arden University has towards its students globally, and expands on its six UK-based study centres and EU site in Berlin.

“This is Arden’s first international partnership, and we could not be more excited to work with the Roots IVY/ICMS teams to welcome and guide new students on the journey towards their dream career,” commented Debra Hinds, Pro-Vice-Chancellor of Partnerships at Arden University.

“Despite being on the other side of the globe, our students in Pakistan will have access to the same high-quality educational experience our students in the UK and Berlin do. They will have access to industry-led resources and insights via our iLearn platform and lecturers who have an invaluable level of knowledge in their respective fields.”

“In the increasingly competitive environment of worldwide access to higher education, IVY Colleges offering international university degrees continue to propagate a guarantee of quality, value and intellectual rigour,” commented Dr Khadija Mushtaq, CEO of the IVY Academic Network.

“In its commitment to transform the educational landscape of the country, IVY collaborates with international universities to provide challenging academic and professional qualifications underpinned by innovative research, scholarship and proficiency. By partnering with Arden University, Roots Ivy/ICMS endeavours to further its role as a leading Pakistan based international college, championing a socially inclusive approach to participation in higher education.”

Ashraf Jawaid, CEO International & Partnerships at Arden University, said: “We are thrilled to have been able to welcome the first students on campus as part of our partnership with RIIC/ICMS. These students will have access to a first-rate education provided by leading institutions which will set them up for success in their future careers.

“I am sure our new students will benefit greatly from our exciting, vocationally-focused higher education learning model which has been proving so popular in the UK and Europe. Our first intake has already made an incredibly positive start and I am sure this will be just the beginning of a long and exciting journey for us in Pakistan.”

The partnership represents a further commitment from Arden University to offering students – regardless of their background, location or current commitments and priorities – access to the education they need to advance their career and unlock their potential.

It is one of the many ways Arden University is spearheading change in the higher education sector, with its blended learning courses and digital software stimulation in classes which is giving students around the world access to internationally recognised vocational qualifications and providing them with the real-life skills they need to succeed in the workplace.