Three foreign universities get approval to open campuses in India

Two universities from the United Kingdom and one from Australia have received approval from the Centre to establish campuses in India, the Ministry of Education announced on Tuesday.

The move is aimed at strengthening India’s efforts to become a global education hub under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

The institutions granted Letters of Approval (LoAs) are the University of Bristol and the University of York from the United Kingdom, both of which will establish campuses in Mumbai, and the University of New South Wales from Australia, which will set up its campus in Bengaluru.

The Letters of Approval were handed over by Higher Education Secretary and University Grants Commission (UGC) Chairman Vineet Joshi in the presence of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

According to the Ministry of Education, the LoAs were received by Michelle Jones, Executive Dean and Director of the University of Bristol; Professor Charlie Jeffery, Vice-Chancellor of the University of York; and Professor Sarah Maddison, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Education and Student Experience, University of New South Wales.

Representatives of the British High Commission, the Australian High Commission and the British Council were also present at the event.

Addressing the gathering, Pradhan said the campuses planned by the three universities would mark an important step in advancing the internationalisation of education vision outlined in NEP 2020.

He said the universities were aligning with two of India’s most dynamic knowledge, technology and innovation centres — Mumbai and Bengaluru, which he described as the new Silicon Valley of the eastern part of the world.

The University of Bristol will establish its Mumbai Enterprise Campus and has proposed programmes in immersive arts, finance, data science, economics, business management, entrepreneurship and innovation.

The University of York will launch its first overseas campus in Mumbai. Proposed programmes include finance, computer science with artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, business, economics, creative industries and management.

The University of New South Wales will establish UNSW Bengaluru, which is scheduled to open in August at Manyata Business Park. The campus will offer programmes in business, CS and cybersecurity, along with renewable energy, health, transport and education.

According to the ministry, UGC regulations provide a transparent, streamlined and time-bound framework for globally reputed institutions to establish campuses in India while maintaining institutional autonomy and global standards.

The ministry said the new campuses are expected to create additional opportunities for Indian students and strengthen India’s education partnerships with the UK and Australia.

It added that the initiative reflects the growing confidence of leading global institutions in India’s regulatory and academic ecosystem and contributes to building a globally competitive, inclusive and future-ready higher education landscape.

With the latest approvals, five Letters of Approval have now been issued to Foreign Higher Educational Institutions. The other two institutions are the University of Southampton and the University of Liverpool.

The University of Southampton began academic operations in the 2025-26 session.

The UGC has also issued 10 Letters of Intent (LoIs) to other globally reputed Foreign Higher Educational Institutions from the UK, US, Australia and Italy for establishing campuses across India.

In addition, Deakin University, University of Wollongong and Queen’s University Belfast have already commenced operations in GIFT City.