India’s Global Campus Push Enters Its Most Crucial Phase

Foreign universities are expanding into India, but the bigger NEP challenge is making international education accessible across campuses.

India’s higher education system is entering a new phase of internationalisation. Six years after the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 was introduced, the country is witnessing a growing presence of globally recognised universities, alongside a renewed push to make Indian institutions more internationally connected.

In June 2026, the Ministry of Education issued Letters of Approval to the University of Bristol, University of York and University of New South Wales to establish campuses in India. The University of Liverpool has also received approval for a Bengaluru campus, while the University of Southampton began academic operations in India during the 2025–26 academic session. The government has also issued Letters of Intent to several other foreign higher education institutions.

Universities including Deakin University, the University of Wollongong and Queen’s University Belfast have already established operations in Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City).

These developments represent an important step towards NEP 2020’s vision of making India a global education destination. But they also raise a larger question: Will internationalisation remain concentrated around foreign campuses and elite Indian institutions, or will it reach students across the wider higher education system?

Beyond foreign university campuses

The arrival of foreign universities is perhaps the most visible aspect of India’s internationalisation strategy. However, NEP 2020 envisages a much broader transformation.

The policy encourages international research collaborations, student and faculty exchanges, credit recognition, international curricula, global academic partnerships and greater mobility of students and academics.

The UGC’s framework for internationalisation similarly focuses on attracting international students and faculty, strengthening global partnerships and creating institutional mechanisms to support international engagement.

This means that a university does not need a foreign campus to become international.

A student studying at a university in Bengaluru, Jaipur, Kochi, Lucknow or Guwahati should be able to access global academic opportunities without necessarily travelling abroad.

That is where “internationalisation at home” becomes important.

Bringing global learning to Indian students

In December 2025, NITI Aayog released its report Internationalisation of Higher Education in India: Prospects, Potential, and Policy Recommendations. One of its key areas of focus was internationalisation at home—creating international academic experiences for students who may never study overseas.

This can take several forms.

Students can participate in international research projects, virtual global classrooms, joint courses, international competitions, student exchanges and collaborative programmes. Universities can introduce global case studies and international perspectives into their curricula while developing partnerships with institutions overseas.

The objective is not simply to expose students to foreign education systems.

It is to prepare them to work and collaborate in an increasingly interconnected world.

India wants to attract global students

India’s internationalisation strategy is also shifting from being primarily outbound to creating stronger opportunities for inbound mobility.

The Study in India programme is an important part of this effort. The Ministry of Education’s 2026–27 output-outcome framework targets 25,000 foreign students, 900 participating institutions and 5,000 long-term courses on the Study in India platform.

In March 2026, the Ministry organised a Study in India Edu-Diplomatic Conclave involving diplomats from more than 50 countries, highlighting efforts to strengthen international academic partnerships and attract students to India.

The opportunity is significant. India has one of the world's largest populations of internationally mobile students, but attracting more international students to Indian campuses will require institutions to become more globally welcoming.

This includes simpler admission systems, international student offices, accommodation support, academic orientation, language assistance and effective grievance mechanisms.

The curriculum must become global

Internationalisation cannot stop at student mobility.

The classroom itself needs to become more global.

Engineering students should engage with international technological standards and global challenges. Business students should understand international markets and supply chains. Computer science students should work on global technology issues. Students in social sciences and humanities should encounter diverse perspectives and intellectual traditions.

At the same time, internationalisation should not mean simply importing Western academic models.

India has its own knowledge traditions and areas of expertise that can contribute to global education, including Indian languages, philosophy, yoga, arts, culture and traditional knowledge systems.

The goal should be to create globally connected Indian universities, rather than replicas of foreign institutions.

Research will be a critical measure

Research collaboration could become one of the strongest indicators of genuine internationalisation.

Are Indian researchers working with international teams? Are students participating in global research projects? Are universities attracting international research funding? Are Indian institutions contributing to research addressing global challenges?

India has already made progress in international academic visibility. The country recorded 27 entries in the global top 50 of the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026, more than double the 12 top-50 entries recorded in both 2024 and 2025.

However, these gains need to extend beyond a small group of leading institutions.

Internationalisation will have a much larger impact when research networks, faculty collaborations and global opportunities reach state universities, autonomous colleges and regional institutions.

Foreign campuses should become catalysts

Foreign universities entering India can play an important role in accelerating this transformation.

Their contribution should not be measured only by the number of students enrolled or degrees awarded.

Their larger value could lie in research collaborations, faculty development, industry partnerships, innovation ecosystems and academic opportunities involving Indian institutions.

The University of Liverpool’s Bengaluru campus and the planned UNSW Bengaluru campus, for example, are expected to bring international programmes and expertise into areas relevant to India’s economic and technological priorities.

The opportunity is to ensure that these campuses do not operate as isolated international islands.

They should become part of a wider academic ecosystem involving Indian universities, companies, researchers and students.

The next phase of NEP

Six years after NEP 2020, India’s internationalisation journey has clearly gained momentum.

Foreign universities are arriving. Indian institutions are building international partnerships. The Study in India programme is expanding. Research collaborations and global academic mobility are receiving greater policy attention.

But the real success of NEP will not be measured simply by counting foreign university campuses.

It should be measured by asking how many Indian students experience international learning, how many universities participate in global research networks, how many faculty members collaborate internationally and how accessible global academic opportunities are outside India's premier institutions.

The next phase therefore needs to move from international campuses to internationalised campuses.

The ultimate goal is simple: a student should be able to receive a globally relevant education on an Indian campus, build international academic connections and compete globally—without international exposure being limited to those who can afford to study abroad.

Foreign universities may be the most visible symbol of India’s global education ambitions. But internationalising India’s existing campuses will be the real test of NEP 2020.