The University Grants Commission (UGC) has issued 16 Letters of Intent (LoIs) to 15 Foreign Higher Educational Institutions (FHEIs) from Australia, Italy, the United States and the United Kingdom to establish campuses in India, the Lok Sabha was informed on Monday.
Minister of State for Education Sukanta Majumdar, in a written reply, said the proposed campuses will come up in cities including Bengaluru, Greater Noida, Gurugram, Mumbai and Chennai under the provisions of the University Grants Commission (Setting up and Operation of Campuses of Foreign Higher Educational Institutions in India) Regulations, 2023.
The Minister said the regulatory framework has been designed to ensure that education offered by these foreign institutions in India matches the academic standards of their parent campuses abroad while remaining fully compliant with Indian laws and regulations.
According to the government, the institutions plan to offer programmes in business, economics, accounting, finance, software engineering, data science, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, game design, entrepreneurship, innovation, biomedical sciences and other emerging disciplines aligned with global academic and industry requirements.
Majumdar said the UGC has introduced a single-window clearance mechanism and constituted a high-powered Standing Committee to evaluate proposals from foreign universities. The committee scrutinises applications and recommends eligible institutions for in-principle approval, following which the UGC issues a Letter of Intent.
Only foreign universities ranked among the world’s top 500 are eligible to establish campuses in India. Applicants are also required to submit the latest accreditation or quality assurance reports from recognised agencies.
The Minister further informed the House that degrees awarded by these foreign institutions under the 2023 UGC Regulations will be recognised in India as equivalent to corresponding qualifications granted by Indian higher educational institutions, without requiring any additional equivalence certification.
He also said the government constituted a Facilitation Committee for Foreign Higher Educational Institutions on December 16, 2025, to assist approved institutions in setting up campuses after the issuance of LoIs. The committee is also responsible for monitoring academic, financial and governance-related aspects in line with India’s regulatory framework.
FOLLOW NOW
