Explained: How Yale and Oxford can open campuses in India now

Dreamt of studying at Yale or Stanford but didn’t have the money to move the United States? Your dream may soon come true as the University Grants Commission (UGC) has announced draft norms that will permit foreign universities and educational institutions to set up campuses in India. On Thursday, 5 January, UGC chairperson M Jagadesh Kumar announced draft norms for establishing campuses of foreign higher educational institutions in the country in line with the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020 and invited suggestions and feedback from the public on the same. The move to “internationalise” education is a step to overhaul the country’s heavily-regulated education sector to enable Indian students to obtain foreign qualifications at an affordable cost and make India an attractive global study destination. The move will also help overseas institutions to tap the nation’s young population. Interestingly, while the Narendra Modi-led government has taken this step to open up India’s education sector, such attempts of allowing foreign institutes to set up campuses in India has been made in the past. The first was in 1995 when a Bill was introduced but could not go forward. In 2005-2006, too, the draft law could only go up to the Cabinet stage. So, which universities will be allowed to set up their campuses in India? What is the eligibility criteria? What will be the fee structure? What programmes will be offered? How have academics and students reacted? Here is everything you need to know. Which institutes can set up their campuses in India? While unveiling the draft norms on Thursday, UGC chairperson M Jagadesh Kumar said the foreign universities and Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) will need a nod from the UGC to set up their campuses in India. He explained that universities who want to set up their campuses in India should be ranked within the top 500 of overall or subject-wise global rankings. Universities, who have secured subject-wise ranking, will be allowed to offer same subjects in their Indian campuses. This means universities such as America’s Yale, Stanford, Harvard and British institutions like University of Cambridge, Oxford King’s College could all set up campuses in India, permitting Indian students to get top-notch education without having to travel. **Also read: Four-year undergraduate courses, faster PhDs, and other changes in India's higher education** The UGC chairperson made it clear that institutes wishing to set up shop in India will have to offer full-time programmes in physical mode and not online or distance learning. What will be the admission process for these institutes? The institutes that come to India will have the autonomy to evolve their admission process and criteria to admit domestic and foreign students, as per the draft norms. “There will be a provision for need-based scholarships in all these universities,” Kumar explained. The draft regulation does not mention anything about reservations norms for these foreign universities — which means that they will be free to decide if they wish to provide reservation for certain students in their Indian campuses. [caption id=“attachment_11940542” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] The UGC has taken the move of allowing foreign campuses on Indian soil as a step to overhaul the country’s heavily-regulated education sector and enable Indian students to obtain foreign qualifications at an affordable cost. File image/PTI[/caption] What about the fees and faculty? Just as these Foreign Higher Education Institutions will decide its admission process, so will they decide on their fee structure. The UGC, however, has advised keeping the fees “reasonable and transparent.” As per the details released, the Indian government will not provide scholarships to students taking admission to such institutes. On the matter of faculty, these institutes will have the autonomy to recruit faculty and staff from India and abroad as per its recruitment norms. It may decide the qualifications, salary structure, and other conditions of service for appointing faculty and staff. However, they shall ensure that the qualifications of the faculty appointed shall be at par with the main campus of the country of origin. It shall ensure that the foreign faculty appointed to teach at the Indian campus shall stay at the campus in India for a reasonable period. What courses can they provide? The foreign institutes coming to India will be allowed to offer undergraduate, postgraduate, doctoral, post-doctoral, and other programmes, and award degrees, diplomas, and certificates in all disciplines. **Also read: Students can pursue two full-time degrees at once. Here’s how** Moreover, the qualifications awarded to the Indian students on national soil shall be recognised as an equivalent to the corresponding qualification by the institute’s main campus. When are these institutes coming to India? Students will have to wait a while for these foreign universities to come to India. The draft has to be finalised and then notified by the government. The good news is that this is expected to be completed in the first half of 2023. Once approved, the universities will get two years to set up campuses in India and will be granted permission for 10 years. The institute can then apply for an extension one year before the expiry of the period — that is in the ninth year of operations. [caption id=“attachment_11940552” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] The foreign institutes coming to India will be allowed to offer undergraduate, postgraduate, doctoral, post-doctoral, and other programmes, and award degrees, diplomas, and certificates in all disciplines. Image used for representational purposes/Pixabay[/caption] Is this a big deal? If you ask for the short answer, it is yes. Allowing foreign institutes to India will give our students a chance at better education. As Kumar said to Indian Express, “This will ensure that all our students — there are around 40 million pursuing higher education — have access to global quality education. At least, the living cost will be minimised as compared to studying abroad.” Further elaborating on the matter, Kumar said, “Last year, nearly 4.5 lakh Indian students went abroad for studies, this means a huge outflow of capital from India and this also shows that there is a huge interest among Indian students to study in foreign universities. This is why we wanted to bring the institutes to India.” The move will enable those students who are poor or from the lower middle class households. This is because studying abroad is expensive, especially in countries like the United Kingdom and the United States. Several students currently have the potential but don’t have the means to afford the education, are not able to go to the universities of their choice. But that could now be a thing of the past. The move will also make the education sector more competitive and help in closing the gap between college curricula and market demand. It’s currently ranked 101 among 133 nations in the Global Talent Competitiveness Index of 2022 that measures a nation’s ability to grow, attract and retain talent. How have students reacted? Students are happy with the new of UGC permitting the establishment and operation of foreign universities in the country, saying it will give aspirants exposure to world-class learning without having to travel abroad. Kritima Bhapta, who is planning to shift to a European country for her PhD, said Indian students will be able to benefit from the world-class expertise of these varsities. Quoted as telling news agency PTI, she said, “The education system in foreign universities is more advanced. Foreign universities offer a better quality of education. If they are allowed to set their campuses in India, Indian students will be able to benefit from their world-class expertise in innovation and research." Sidhant Gupta, 25, who is pursuing his post-graduation from a UK university remotely, told PTI the education system in foreign universities is more advanced. “Foreign universities offer better quality of education and if they are allowed to set their campuses in India, Indian students will then be able to benefit immensely,” he said. With inputs from agencies Read all the Latest News , Trending News , Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.