The University Grant Commission (UGC) on Tuesday notified regulations permitting foreign universities ranked among the world’s top 500 to set up branch campuses in India, decide on their admission process, fee structure, and also repatriate funds to their parent campuses. This comes shortly after Australia’s Western Sydney University announced plans to establish an independent campus in Bangalore.
If each university individually satisfies the requirements, two or more universities may work together to establish campuses in India. Every international institution is permitted to open multiple campuses in India. They must, however, submit a different application to the commission for each planned campus.
Approximately ten months after the draft was released for public comment, the guidelines were notified. The final regulations have been modified based on the feedback. For example, the final regulations require foreign universities to guarantee that foreign instructors recruited to teach at the Indian campuses remain in the nation for a minimum of one semester.
Additionally, the standing committee now has 60 days instead of 45 days to process applications according to the final guidelines. The committee’s recommendations ought to be presented to the UGC in 60 days, as opposed to the 45 days specified in the draft regulations.
Furthermore, “international universities are prohibited from opening study centers, learning centers, or franchises that could serve as the parent entity’s representative offices in order to promote their programs in their home country or any other country outside of India.” Before launching a new program on their campus in India, they must obtain commission clearance, according to the requirements.
Under these laws, no program may be offered online or through open and distance learning. Online lectures, however, are permitted as long as they don’t surpass 10% of the program requirements, it stated.
Except for the one-time application fees, foreign universities are not required to pay the UGC any yearly fees. They will use their own land, infrastructure, human resources, and physical resources to set up their campuses. Indian students may be eligible for complete or partial merit-based, need-based, and fee-reductions from international colleges on their campuses in India.
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