The University Grants Commission (UGC) has approached envoys of 22 nations, urging them to encourage top-ranked institutions in their respective countries to examine the possibility of setting up their campuses in India, people familiar with the development said.
In a letter to the envoys, the higher education regulatory body has asked them to examine the UGC regulations issued last month in this regard and create awareness about the same on different platforms, the people added.
The commission had on November 8 notified the UGC (Setting up and Operation of Campuses of Foreign Higher Educational Institutions in India) Regulations, 2023, in line with the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020, which envisioned that “top universities in the world will be facilitated to operate in India”.
The guidelines allow foreign universities that have ranked among the top 500 in the world to establish campuses in India with complete autonomy over admission processes and fee structures, while the UGC retains the authority to monitor their operations.
“I request that you encourage the top-ranked institutions in your country to investigate the possibility of establishing campuses in India,” UGC chairperson M Jagadesh Kumar wrote in an early this week letter to envoys from 22 countries, including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Singapore.
“I hope that your office will help us disseminate the information related to the Regulations at appropriate forums. I firmly believe that setting up the campuses of the institutions of your country in India will deepen the long-standing ties between our countries,” Kumar added.
The letter was also addressed to Finland’s, Israel’s, Japan’s, Italy’s, Netherlands’, Norway’s, Russia’s, South Korea’s, Switzerland’s, Sweden’s, Ireland’s, Luxembourg’s, and New Zealand’s envoys.
Last month, the UGC also opened an application platform for international schools interested in developing campuses in India.
Kumar stated that 10-12 international institutions have already registered on the web, expressing an interest in establishing campuses in India. “These are universities from Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Europe,” the head of the UGC told HT on Friday. “Once these universities will update all required documents on the portal, the commission will take their applications forward.”
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