Edinburgh (UK), May 2007 - The Interactive University closed its doors at the end of April 2007. The joint venture among Scottish Enterprise, Herriot Watt University, and Robert Gordon University was intended to be a "one-stop-shop" for foreign students accessing courses from Scottish universities. However, the expected number of student registrations was not achieved.
The move to shut down comes after the majority of Scottish universities failed to get on board and a £1.5 million bid for emergency funds was turned down by Scottish Enterprise. It had been hoped the IU would bring in millions in revenue for Scottish universities, with the institutions using it as a means to offer supported learning to students at partner institutions in up to forty other countries. However, less than a quarter of the anticipated number of students was attracted to the venture.
