Chandigarh, 25 June, 2023: UGC chairman M Jagadesh Kumar has welcomed the move to establish a joint task force to assist global universities in setting up branch campuses in India and US Foreign university campus regulations are being given the final touches by the UGC for the announcement soon, he said.

“With the foreign university campus regulations being given the final touches by the UGC for the announcement soon, we look forward to working with the liaison office of the diplomatic outposts to facilitate establishing foreign university campuses in India. These are exciting times for higher education,” Kumar said. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi stressed on deepening strategic partnership between Indian and American universities in his US visit. He also presented a five-point proposal for energising India-US collaboration in the education and research sector, including an integrated approach where governments, academia and the industry work together, and encouraging exchange of students and teachers. 

Enhancing research collaborations critical, says Kumar

According to the UGC chairman, enhancing research collaborations and two-way academic exchanges between India and the US under India’s National Education Policy (NEP) is critical. 

“Partnership in emerging areas of science and technology between the world’s two greatest democracies will benefit economic growth and open opportunities for conceiving innovative technological solutions to our countries’ challenges,” he added.

Kumar said the meeting between PM Modi and the academic leaders in the US will give them a “clear picture of India’s aspirations and potential and help accelerate the collaboration process in the higher education sector”.

Many US universities interested in India

Welcoming the decision to establish a joint task force with stakeholders from the US and India to designate dedicated offices within their diplomatic outposts to assist global universities in setting up branch campuses in each other’s country, Kumar said “many US university delegations have met us at UGC and expressed their desire for a deeper collaboration with India in the higher education sector”.

The UGC in January had released draft regulations allowing foreign universities to operate open campuses in India according to which the selected university will have two years to set up a campus in India and start academic programmes.

They will initially be granted approval to operate for 10 years, and at the end of the ninth year of operations, will have to file for renewal. According to the draft regulations universities placed in the top 500, either in the overall or the subject-wise category, in global rankings such as QS were eligible to enter India. Universities that do not participate in such rankings must be “reputed” in their countries to be able to apply.

Also, the quality of education imparted by it in its Indian campus must be “on par with that of the main campus in the country of origin and the qualifications awarded to the students in the Indian campus shall be recognised and treated as equivalent to the corresponding qualifications awarded by the Foreign Higher Educational Institutions in the main campus located in the country of origin for all purposes, including higher education and employment,” according to the draft. (Source: Vibha Sharma)

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