UGC issues LoIs to 15 foreign universities to set up campuses in India
New Delhi, Aug 4 (INB) The University Grants Commission (UGC) has issued Letters of Intent (LoIs) to 15 foreign higher educational institutions to establish branch campuses in India under the UGC's 2023 regulations, the government has informed Parliament. Minister of State for Education, Dr Sukanta Majumdar, in a written reply in the Lok Sabha on Monday said the proposed campuses will be set up in Bengaluru, Greater Noida, Gurugram, Mumbai and Chennai.
He said the campuses are expected to offer programmes in business, economics, accounting, finance, software engineering, data science, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, game design, entrepreneurship, innovation, biomedical sciences and other emerging disciplines. According to an official statement, several foreign higher educational institutions (FHEIs) from Australia, Italy, the United Kingdom and the United States have expressed interest in establishing campuses in India under the UGC (Setting up and Operation of Campuses of Foreign Higher Educational Institutions in India) Regulations, 2023.
It said the UGC has created a single-window clearance mechanism and constituted a high-powered Standing Committee to examine proposals for establishing foreign university campuses in India. Based on the committee's recommendations, the Commission grants in-principle approval through the issuance of Letters of Intent, it added.
Only foreign universities ranked among the top 500 globally are eligible to apply under the regulations. Applicants are also required to submit the latest accreditation or quality assurance reports from recognised agencies. The government said the regulatory framework ensures that academic standards at Indian branch campuses remain at par with those of the parent institutions abroad while complying with Indian laws and regulations.
Degrees awarded by these campuses will be recognised as equivalent to corresponding qualifications awarded by Indian higher educational institutions, eliminating the need for any separate equivalence certification, according to the statement. To facilitate the establishment of these campuses, the government also constituted a Facilitation Committee for FHEIs in December 2025 to assist institutions after the issuance of the LoI and oversee academic, financial and governance-related aspects, it added.