UP Education

What UP Education does

UP Education Limited is the largest private tertiary education group in Australasia, headquartered in Auckland, New Zealand, operating 64 campuses across 16 locations in Australia and New Zealand and serving approximately 39,000 students annually through a portfolio of 270 courses. The company delivers university pathway programs (Foundation Studies, Foundation Connect, Pathways Link, International First Year Diplomas, Pre-Masters Preparation, and Graduate Certificates) for international students seeking entry to six partner universities — University of Tasmania, Charles Darwin University, Swinburne University of Technology (Australia), and University of Auckland, AUT, and Victoria University of Wellington (New Zealand). Beyond pathways, UP Education operates 21+ wholly-owned subsidiary brands spanning vocational and higher education verticals including hospitality (ICHM), creative and IT (Yoobee), early childhood education (NZTC), healthcare (Healthcare Academy NZ), sports (NZIS), beauty therapy (Elite Beauty School), construction (Builders Academy), natural health (Endeavour), counselling (AIPC), and tourism (NZST).

The business model is tuition-driven: students pay per-program fees (international pathway programs priced from AUD $8,500 to AUD $29,070 across multi-month contracts), supplemented by domestic vocational student fees and ancillary revenue from insurance, payment processing, and ancillary services. UP Education's underlying technology stack is commodity and integration-based — Microsoft Teams and Blackboard for LMS delivery, Western Union for international fee collection, StudyLink for enrollment management, and Allianz Partners for student insurance — with no proprietary platform disclosed. Go-to-market is sales-led and channel-driven: four regional sales directors (China/North Asia, EMEAA, Subcontinent, Southeast Asia) manage an international education agent network sourcing students from 30+ countries, complemented by direct campus enrollment and co-branded university partner websites.

The company is privately held with no disclosed external funding rounds or controlling investor. Its executive team is led by CEO Mark Rushworth with functional CXOs across finance, technology, recruitment/marketing, and people. Revenue is not publicly disclosed, but the combination of 39,000 annual students, 2,000+ staff, 64 campuses, and AUD $8,500–$29,070 international pathway pricing implies annual revenue in the low-to-mid hundreds of millions USD. Customer concentration risk is moderate: the student base is highly fragmented, but revenue depends on six university partnerships and disproportionately on international students, exposing the business to geopolitical and visa-policy shifts. AI/ML capabilities are not evidenced — the technology footprint is third-party and undifferentiated.

Name

UP Education

Legal name

UP Education Limited

Website

https://up.education

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

UP Education is a private tertiary education group operating 64 campuses across Australia and New Zealand, delivering university pathway programs for international students through partnerships with six universities, alongside vocational and higher education via 21+ subsidiary brands.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education and Vocational Training

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Diploma-to-Degree / Articulation & Credit-Transfer Pathways (EDAIAJAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Under-18 / High School-to-University Foundation Pathways (EDAIAJAI), Accelerated Learning & Grade Advancement Programs (EDAJAGAE)

Keywords

• Tertiary education
• University pathway programs
• Vocational training
• Foundation studies
• International student education

Headquarters

HQ city

Auckland

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Course Fees: UP Education generates revenue through tuition fees charged for pathway programs, foundation studies, vocational courses, and higher education programs across its network of 64 campuses. Students pay for access to educational programs that lead to university qualifications.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

UP Education is a private tertiary education group that delivers university pathway programs, foundation studies, vocational education, and higher education courses across 64 campuses in Australia and New Zealand. The company prepares international students for undergraduate and postgraduate entry at six partner universities and operates a portfolio of vocational and higher education providers across diverse disciplines including hospitality, IT, creative arts, healthcare, sports, and natural medicine.

Product overview

UP Education operates as a platform of educational pathway and vocational training providers across Australia and New Zealand. The core offering consists of university pathway programmes (Foundation Studies, Foundation Connect, Pathways Link) that prepare international students for undergraduate and postgraduate entry into partner universities. These are delivered through subsidiary brands and international college partnerships with University of Tasmania, AUT, Victoria University of Wellington, University of Auckland, Swinburne University, and Charles Darwin University. The portfolio extends to 21 subsidiary vocational education providers covering diverse disciplines including sports management, beauty therapy, healthcare, hospitality, IT, creative arts, counselling, and natural health. The company serves approximately 39,000 students annually across 64 campuses in 16 locations, positioning itself as a comprehensive educational ecosystem from vocational training through to university pathway completion.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Foundation Studies Programme

Quantifiable outcome

• 87% of ICHM students securing employment after graduation
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• University of TasmaniacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUP Education partners with University of Tasmania to deliver UTAS International Pathway College, providing foundation studies, international first year diplomas, and postgraduate pathway programs at the Sandy Bay Campus in Hobart.
• University of AucklandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUP Education delivers the UOA Certificate in Foundation Studies through UP International College New Zealand, transitioning international students into undergraduate degree programmes at New Zealand's top university.
• AUT (Auckland University of Technology)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUP Education delivers the AUT Certificate in Foundation Studies preparing students for entry into AUT undergraduate degree programmes with strong industry links and high graduate employment rate.
• Victoria University of WellingtoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUP Education delivers the Foundation Studies Programme through UP International College New Zealand, preparing international students for entry into degree programmes at Victoria University of Wellington.
• Swinburne University of TechnologycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUP Education partners with Swinburne University of Technology to deliver pathway programs for international students seeking to enter undergraduate degrees.
• Charles Darwin UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUP Education partners with Charles Darwin University to provide pathway programs for international students transitioning into university education.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Kaplan International: Global education provider offering pathway, English language, and higher education programs. Comparable to UP Education in pathway product category but operates at much larger global scale as part of Kaplan, Inc.
• IDP Education: Larger publicly-listed international education services company dominant in student placement and English testing. Comparable to UP Education on the international student demand-side funnel but operates a much broader portfolio.
• Laureate International Universities (Australia/New Zealand operations): Global private tertiary group with Australasian operations (formerly including NZMA-type brands). Comparable to UP Education as a multi-brand vocational and higher education platform in the region.

Direct peers

• Navitas: Global university pathway provider with significant Australasian operations (e.g., Curtin College, La Trobe Melbourne). Directly comparable to UP Education as the other top pathway operator in the region, competing for the same university partnerships and international students.
• Study Group: Global pathway and higher education provider with Australian and New Zealand pathway college operations. Closely comparable to UP Education's university pathway model and target international student segment.
• EduCo (Global University Systems): International education group operating multiple higher education and pathway brands including ACAP and Think Education in Australasia. Direct competitor for international pathway students and vocational-to-degree articulation.
• Cambridge Education Group: Operates foundation, pre-masters, and English language pathway programs in partnership with universities. Comparable to UP Education's pathway portfolio and university partnership model.
• INTO University Partnerships: Major international university pathway provider operating pathway colleges globally. Directly competes with UP Education's foundation, diploma, and pre-masters pathway offerings to university partners.

Regional players

• Torrens University Australia: Australian private university with vocational and higher education offerings and significant international student recruitment. Comparable to UP Education's domestic vocational/HE portfolio but vertically integrated as a university rather than a pathway provider.

Others

• QS Global Education Group: Provider of international student recruitment, events, and higher education data services. Adjacent ecosystem participant to UP Education's pathway business, supporting international student demand generation rather than competing directly.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInnz.linkedin.com/company/upeducation
• Xx.com/upeducation1

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries27 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about UP Education