Union Education Minister Issues LoI to Four Foreign Universities to Set Up Campuses in India

New Delhi: Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan issued Letters of Intent (LoIs) to four foreign universities to establish their campuses in India.

These include the University of Bristol from the United Kingdom and Western Sydney University (WSU), Victoria University, and La Trobe University from Australia.

The announcement was made during the Akhil Bhartiya Shiksha Samagam (ABSS) held in New Delhi, an event marking five years since the launch of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

The minister highlighted that Australia’s Deakin University and University of Wollongong have already launched campuses in Gujarat’s GIFT City, while the UK’s Southampton University has established a campus in Gurugram, Haryana. He stated that up to 15 foreign universities will set up their campuses in India.

Locations and programs offered

According to the agreement, Western Sydney University (WSU) will establish its campus in Greater Noida. The university will offer undergraduate programs in Business Analytics and Business Marketing, and postgraduate degrees in Innovation & Entrepreneurship and Logistics & Supply Chain Management.

WSU has also partnered with Indian institutions such as the All India Institute of Ayurveda for collaborative research in Ayurveda and modern medicine, the Ministry of Jal Shakti for groundwater management, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) for food security, and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) for work in neuromorphic engineering.

Meanwhile, Victoria University will set up its campus in Noida. It will offer undergraduate courses in business, data science, and cybersecurity, along with postgraduate degrees including an MBA and a Master’s in Information and Technology.

La Trobe University will open its campus in Bengaluru. It aims to offer undergraduate programs in Business (Finance, Marketing, Management), Computer Science (Artificial Intelligence and Software Engineering), and Public Health. Additionally, it plans to open a Joint PhD Academy with IIT Kanpur focused on research in health, water, and urban planning.

The University of Bristol will begin operations in Mumbai by 2026. Its India campus will focus on joint undergraduate-to-master’s programmes, student exchange, and research in artificial intelligence, design, and digital technologies. It will collaborate with ATLAS SkillTech University in Mumbai and has formed a “3+1” degree pathway with Krea University, Sri City. This will allow Indian students to complete their undergraduate education in India and move to Bristol for master’s degrees in innovation, policy, and analytics.

Unveiling of new projects

Pradhan also unveiled education projects worth over Rs 4,000 crore for upgrading infrastructure in CBSE, Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas, and Kendriya Vidyalayas. Digital initiatives like the TARA app for reading fluency and the My Career Advisor app for career guidance were also launched during the event.