15 Foreign Universities Set to Launch Campuses in India This Academic Year

On Monday, Dharmendra Pradhan, the Education Minister, announced that 15 international universities will be opening branches in India during this academic year, with a focus on Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Business (STEMB) subjects.

The University of Liverpool formally got the nod to establish its campus in Bengaluru on Monday. The Letter of Intent (LoI) was handed over to university officials at a ceremony chaired by Pradhan in New Delhi.

This is the second foreign university to have been issued a LoI under the UGC's 2023 guidelines for the establishment of foreign higher education institutions in India, as per a release by the Press Information Bureau (PIB).

Pradhan commented, "The University of Liverpool is the fourth international university to officially declare its presence in India. 15 international universities will be arriving in India, particularly in STEMB, by this academic year."

Established in 1881, the University of Liverpool is a member of the prestigious Russell Group.

Earlier in 2023, the University of Southampton became the first foreign institution to receive a LoI from the UGC and is expected to launch its campus later this year.

The Minister highlighted the importance of education in national development and added, "In order to turn the country into a VIKSIT Bharat by 2047, operationalisation of NEP 2020 in letter and spirit is the key to realize this dream. One of the main suggestions of NEP 2020 lies in rooted, futuristic and global education and the goal is to create global citizens."

The University of Liverpool will admit its first batch of undergraduate and postgraduate students in August 2026. The Bengaluru campus will start courses in Business Management, Accounting and Finance, Computer Science, and Biomedical Sciences, as per the PIB.

A highlight will be a course in Game Design—the first UK university campus in India to offer this new-age course.

The Bengaluru campus will be designed to create a research-driven ecosystem, with an emphasis on fundamental, applied, and industry-focused research addressing global and local issues.

Besides this, three important Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) were inked on Monday to explore future collaborative opportunities with organizations such as the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG), AstraZeneca Pharma India Limited, YouWeCan, and Dream11, the statement further mentioned.

Vineet Joshi, Interim Chairperson of the UGC and Secretary, Department of Higher Education, noted that the LoI "is not merely a ceremonial gesture, but it is evidence of a wider and deeper change under way in India's higher education system—one that is driven by strategic reform, international engagement, and a firm policy foundation."