University of Liverpool to set up campus in Bengaluru, welcome first batch in August 2026

The University of Liverpool is set to open a campus in Bengaluru and will welcome its first batch of students in August next year, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan announced on Monday, as he handed over the Letter of Intent to the varsity administration here.

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The move comes after the University of Liverpool, part of the United Kingdom’s Russell Group, received formal approval from the University Grants Commission (UGC) to open the first foreign university campus in Bengaluru.

The University of Southampton was the first UK university to receive approval and is set to start offering academic programmers in Gurugram by July 2025.

Pradhan also announced that 15 foreign universities will be coming to India by this academic year.

“Delighted to hand over the Letter of Intent to University of Liverpool, one of UK’s premier academic institutions, for setting up a campus in India. Today’s development is another milestone in India’s journey of deepening academic partnerships with leading global universities,” the minister said, adding that the development was a reaffirmation of India’s emergence as a trusted partner in global higher education.

Expressing confidence in Liverpool’s Bengaluru campus, the Union Minister said, “It will be a global campus that will push the boundaries of research and innovation and foster scientific temper for contributing to global welfare and prosperity.”

The Bengaluru campus will initially offer programmes in Business Management, Accounting and Finance, Computer Science, and Biomedical Sciences. It will also introduce a programme in Game Design- a unique offering for a UK university campus in India to offer the subject.

The new campus will also create enriching global exchange opportunities, providing UK-based students with an exciting new destination for international study.

Senior leaders from the University of Liverpool also signed memoranda of understanding (MoUs) to explore future collaborative opportunities with companies and organisations including the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG), AstraZeneca Pharma India Limited, Wipro Limited, YouWeCan, and Dream11.

“We are delighted to have received approval from the University Grants Commission to open Bengaluru’s first international campus. Opening a campus in the State of Karnataka and Bengaluru feels like the next natural step, building on the fantastic partnerships and collaborations we already enjoy there,” Tim Jones, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Liverpool said.

Further stating that he is looking forward to providing students with access to an exceptional learning experience and a range of opportunities to develop their skills and employability, Jones added, “we are also committed to embedding a strong research culture to the benefit of industry, the region and the wider world.”

In 2023, the UGC announced the setting up and operation of Campuses of Foreign Higher Educational Institutions in India Regulations.

Two Australian universities -- Deakin and Wollongong -- already have campuses in the Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City).

Queen’s University Belfast and Coventry University have also received approval for setting up campuses in GIFT City.

Chicago’s Illinois Institute of Technology, which became the first US university to get a nod to set up its campus in India, will be established in Mumbai in 2026.