The IIE continues to be the largest private educational services provider on the African continent, due to its corporate attachment to the parent company, ADvTECH Group.

The Independent Institute of Education was founded in 2004 as the academic leadership and governance body within the ADvTECH Group.

[3] In June 2015, ADvTECH reported that The IIE had 31,000 tertiary students, 25,000 of whom are full-time, enrolled across 20 campuses in South Africa.

The Institute also operates a number of workshops and short courses, and offers distance education for some of its qualifications.

Tuition for other institutions such as Unisa, UFS, and IMM has also been available on some IIE campuses, but this provision is now being phased out in line with regulatory requirements.