Foreign university campuses to be set in India! UGC invites suggestions on draft rules

New Delhi: The top 500 foreign universities and educational institutions may set up their campuses in India as the University Grants Commission (UGC), with the aim of making internationalisation of the country’s higher education system, has invited comments, suggestions and feedback on draft regulations on setting up and operation of campuses of foreign universities in India.

The UGC’s Setting up and Operation of Campuses of Foreign Higher Educational Institutions in India) Regulations, 2023 aim to facilitate the entry of foreign higher educational institutions into India.

The UGC had notified the guidelines on internationalisation of higher education in 2021, which included provisions like setting up an Office for International Affairs and Alumni Connect Cell in the Universities. To foster academic collaboration between Indian and foreign higher educational institutions, the UGC (Academic Collaboration between Indian and Foreign Higher Educational Institutions to offer Twinning, Joint Degree and Dual Degree Programmes) Regulations, 2022 were notified on May 2, 2022.

The draft regulations says that the NEP 2020 has envisioned that “top universities in the world will be facilitated to operate in India.” For this, “a legislative framework facilitating such entry will be put in place, and such universities will be given special dispensation regarding regulatory governance, and content norms on par with other autonomous institutions of India”.

The regulatory framework allowing the entry of higher-ranked foreign universities, as envisaged in NEP, 2020, will provide an international dimension to higher education, enable Indian students to obtain foreign qualifications at affordable cost, and make India an attractive global study destination, it said.

(With IANS inputs)