8 INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITIES KEEN TO HAVE CAMPUSES IN INDIA

According to a recent survey, eight international universities have shown interest in setting up their campuses in India. These include five American universities and one each from Canada, Australia, and the UK. The list also has one university ranking among the top 50 to 100 in the prestigious Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2021.

The survey included 43 internationally ranked universities. While eight among these showed an intention of setting up in India, 16 were against the idea, and 16 were undecided. The universities interested in establishing campuses here would prefer to accept Indian students first to get adequate enrolment to build a sustainable presence in the country.

The survey called ‘Establishment of international branch campuses in India’ was conducted by the National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA) between Dec 2020 and Feb 2021. The eight respondents that indicated the intention to set up in India shared expectations for a liberal regulatory framework to make the country an attractive destination for international universities.

Experts say that even the top foreign universities are keen to establish their campuses in India, but they would rather take a wait-and-watch approach. The reason is that the government is yet to come up with rules and regulations. Of the 43 universities that took part in the survey, 14 hailed from the UK, 13 from the USA, and 6 from Canada. Nine among them are in the top 50, and 30 are in the top 150 of the Times Higher Education ranking.

Besides seeking the outlook for establishing campuses in India, the survey also asked the participating universities about the preferred campus model. According to the report, a greater number of universities would prefer direct government assistance or linkage with government-run institutions as compared to setting up with private assistance or without external aid.

The report suggested models on the lines of the University of Nottingham of the United Kingdom (Ningbo, China), the Webster University of the United States (The Netherlands), and the association between the Singapore Institute of Management and the School of Management of the University of Buffalo at the State University of New York for its BBA programme in Singapore.


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