UK Universities Open Campuses in India Under NEP

In a major development under India’s National Education Policy (NEP), nine prominent universities from the United Kingdom received approvals to open campuses in India, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said on Wednesday. Speaking at a special briefing in advance of the official visit to India of UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Misri called this development a “silent revolution” in the Indian education system.

The first of these campuses – Southampton University in Gurgaon – opened in July and has welcomed its first cohort of students. Other universities expected to open campuses include Queen’s Belfast University, Coventry University, University of Surrey, and University of Bristol in GIFT City, University of York in Mumbai, University of Liverpool and University of Lancaster in Bengaluru, and University of Aberdeen in Mumbai.

Misri indicated the size of the delegation traveling with the UK Prime Minister, calling it “the biggest ever business delegation from the UK to India.”

There are nine vice chancellors from the universities launching campuses, in addition to senior officials such as Peter Kyle, Secretary of State for Business and Trade, Douglas Alexander, Secretary of State for Scotland, and 125 business leaders.

The UK government has also noted the economic possibilities of this expansion, stating there is a projected £50 million economic stimulus to the UK economy as a result of these international campuses. With approximately 40 million students presently in Indian universities, along with a forecasted increase to 70 million students in Indian universities by 2035, the arrangement will allow Indian students to obtain a UK degree without leaving India, while also strengthening the UK’s higher education export economy. According to the government, international education contributed over £32 billion to the UK economy in 2022, with a nearly £1 billion contribution from international campuses alone.

The UK government stated that these developments will make the UK the largest higher education presence in India, which signals a substantial increase in its global reputation in education. This partnership between India and the UK as part of the NEP is likely to transform the global education landscape; increasing access to high-quality education globally and enriching the bilateral relationship.