UGC issued 12 letters of intent to foreign higher educational institutions to open their campuses in India

The Government told Parliament that the University Grants Commission (UGC) has issued 12 Letters of Intent (LoI) to Foreign Higher Educational Institutions (FHEIs) from Australia, Italy, the United Kingdom, and the USA to open campuses in various places in India.

Union Minister Dr Sukanta Majumdar said, “A number of FHEIs have expressed interest in establishing branch campuses in India, including three FHEIs already operational in Gurugram and GIFT City, Gandhinagar.”

He further said that the UGC has issued 12 Letters of Intent (LoI) to FHEIs from Australia, Italy, the United Kingdom, and the USA to open campuses in various places in India, including Bengaluru (Karnataka), Delhi NCR, Gurugram (Haryana), Mumbai (Maharashtra), and Chennai (Tamil Nadu).

“Under International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) regulations, four universities from the UK, Australia, and Ireland have been registered to operate offshore branch campuses in GIFT City SEZ, Gandhinagar, Gujarat,” the minister informed.

The FHEIs under the UGC regulations may enter into a joint venture with Indian higher educational institutions or Indian companies.

“However, the FHEI campus in India shall have its independent campus with the physical, academic, and research infrastructure and facilities required to conduct its academic and research programs. The Government of India does not offer any specific incentive for opening campuses of FHEIs in India. However, based on policies and priorities, State Governments may offer facilities to attract FHEI campuses in their respective regions,” Majumdar said.

Foreign Higher Educational Institutions intending to establish campuses in India should have secured a position within the top 500 in the overall category of global rankings.