09/11/2023
As more foreign institutions want to build up campuses in India, the UGC has completed foreign university entry requirements. Top 500 worldwide institutions can open campuses in India under the UGC (Setting up and Operation of Campuses of Foreign Higher Educational Institutions in India) Regulations, 2023.
Foreign colleges can choose their admissions, fees, and fund transfers to their parent campuses. However, instructors hired for the Indian campus must meet home campus criteria. The regulation also requires Indian campus faculty to live there for at least a semester. The commission changed the draught guidelines announced in January to raise the standing committee's application processing time from 45 to 60 days. The final regulations require the committee to submit the report 60 days before instead of 45. The amended document allows foreign institutions to open multiple campuses in India. Foreign institutes must apply to the UGC separately for each campus. The Australian universities Deakins and Wollongong have campuses in GIFT City. The union education minister, Dharmendra Pradhan, opened the under-construction universities on Tuesday. Deakins expects to open by July 2024, whereas the University of Wollongong may open by the end of 2023, but has not announced it. However, UGC restrictions will not apply to GIFT City universities. Based on stakeholder feedback, UGC chairman M Jagadesh Kumar informed ICNN that the regulations have been revised. “The suggestions were mostly clarifications. We included them in the rules. We created thorough ‘frequently asked questions’ documentation on these laws based on UGC feedback.
Also Read | 83% of Indian students think foreign degrees help them get jobs: Study Q. Fees, scholarships, and national law compliance? UGC laws require partial and full scholarships for foreign university students. Indian students must also receive tuition discounts from these schools. The UGC prohibits universities from charging students before its approval. Since the universities can open campuses wherever in India, all local and national rules apply to them. Foreign colleges must have a campus grievance redress procedure by law. Additionally, students might transfer to a foreign university's main campus in its native country. First-year Indian students who want to enrol in international schools from their second year would be allowed if their credits are equivalent.
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Australian Deakin University was one of the first international universities to open in India. Deakin University photo
Q What courses may international universities offer? A. Foreign universities can open multiple campuses in India under the new rules. Universities can offer certificates, diplomas, degrees, postgraduate degrees, PhDs, and post-doctoral programmes. Foreign universities can request UGC permission for particular programmes while applying. Foreign universities will issue degrees equivalent to those offered by Indian universities or at their main campuses. No further equivalent is needed, said the UGC chairperson. Also Read | UGC grants foreign degree equivalency; limits online, distance degrees After approval, universities must ask the UGC to launch new programmes. Regulations prohibit foreign universities from offering online or open distance learning courses. Only 10% of programme lectures can be offered online, per rule. Q. Which foreign institutions can apply? Single international institutions can set up a campus, but new regulations allow many foreign institutions to collaborate. Foreign institutes in the top 500 global rankings at the time of application or the top 500 subject-wise rankings are eligible. Outstanding institutions with excellent research and academic accomplishments can also apply. In recent months, several international university delegations addressed us at UGC, expressing their desire to engage with India in higher education. We believe such collaborations will accelerate after the regulations are announced and the application portal is opened. During negotiations with us, universities from Australia, UK, Europe, and US have expressed interest in opening campuses in India, said M Jagadesh Kumar. Q. Does India charge international universities an annual fee to open campuses? Foreign institutions applying to open campuses in India must pay a non-refundable fee. The older draught required an annual charge from the second year following institution acceptance. The commission will no longer levy an annual fee when the foreign institution approves. Can foreign universities in India franchise? The UGC chairman states that foreign higher education institutions in India cannot establish study centres, promote, or franchise. Foreign universities must have land, infrastructure, and facilities to function once approved. UGC prohibits foreign institutions from sharing a campus while building one.
