New Delhi: At least five more foreign universities, including the US’s Illinois Institute of Technology and the UK’s University of Liverpool, will establish their campuses in India over the next 2 years as their approval processes are in final stages, ThePrint has learnt.
The UK’s University of Southampton last year became the first international institution to receive a letter of intent from the University Grants Commission (UGC) under a 2023 regulation for setting up foreign university campuses in India. Its Gurugram campus is expected to begin operations by August.
According to government officials, five universities are in the final stages of receiving approval to set up campuses in India. These include University of Liverpool, Australia’s Victoria University and Western Sydney University, Italy’s Istituto Europeo di Design, and the Illinois Institute of Technology, the first for a US institution.
“These five universities are nearing the completion of the approval process under the UGC norms. They are expected to receive their letters of intent in the coming months and are likely to begin operations between 2026 and 2027,” a senior government official told ThePrint.
The official also said talks are in the early stages with five additional universities from the UK and Australia. “Their names cannot be disclosed at this point, as the discussions are still at a very nascent stage,” the official added.
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World rankings
According to the University Grants Commission (Setting up and Operation of Campuses of Foreign Higher Educational Institutions in India) Regulations, 2023—formulated in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020—foreign universities seeking to establish campuses in India must be ranked among the top 500 globally, either in overall rankings or in subject-specific categories.
According to the QS World University Rankings 2025, the University of Liverpool is ranked 165, Victoria University 244, and the Western Sydney University 384.
The Illinois Institute of Technology is placed in the 601-610 bracket in the overall rankings, but it falls within the 451–500 range in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2025.
According to the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024, Istituto Europeo di Design is ranked between 101 and 150.
The Chicago-based Illinois Institute of Technology is set to become the first US university to establish a campus in India. It has seven colleges across the US, offering programmes in engineering, computing, architecture, business, law, design, science and human sciences.
Several US-based universities have established campuses abroad to extend their global reach. For instance, the New York University (NYU) operates the NYU Abu Dhabi and NYU Shanghai, Carnegie Mellon University has a campus in Qatar, Duke University runs Duke Kunshan University in China in a joint venture with Wuhan University.
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Southampton University
The University of Southampton’s branch in Gurugram’s Sector 29 is set to commence operations in August, while the teaching process will begin in September.
According to the university’s website, it will offer four undergraduate programmes in Accounting and Finance, Economics, Computer Science, and Business Management. Additionally, two postgraduate courses will be offered—one in International Management and the other in Finance.
The university has also appointed several Indian faculty members, including Vishal Talwar, former Professor of Marketing at the Institute of Management Technology, Ghaziabad, who will serve as the Chief Operating Officer. Chitrakalpa Sen, formerly Senior Associate Dean for Internationalisation and Mobility at Jindal Global Business School, has been appointed as the Head of Economics.
The university has already begun the application process which requires students to submit a personal statement, a letter of reference, and supporting documents. It has announced several scholarships, including the prestigious Presidential Scholarship, available for both undergraduate and postgraduate students.
In an interview with ThePrint in September last year, Andrew Atherton, Vice-President (International & Engagement) at the University of Southampton, said the institution aims to enroll 5,000 to 5,500 students at its India campus over the first 10 years, beginning with an initial intake of 150 to 200 students in the first year.
(Edited by Ajeet Tiwari)
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The courses must be vetted either by the AICTE ir the UGC. We will not allow foreign universities to spread anti-India propaganda on our soil. Also, India’s sovereignty and integrity must be respected by these universities. Showing the wrong map of Kashmir (as done by international media) or fanning Hinduphobia under the guise of “liberal arts and social sciences studies” will not be tolerated.