INDIA
The report, Landscape of international university campuses in India 2026, examines 13 international universities that have initiated admissions for the 2026 and 2027 academic sessions under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and related regulations.
Collectively, these institutions operate across just five Indian cities; the group comprises seven universities from the UK, five from Australia, and one from the US.
Dr Rahul Choudaha, managing director of DrEducation Research, told University World News that international universities consider several factors when deciding whether to establish a campus in India.
He said: “It is a high-stakes endeavour for universities, since it puts hard-earned reputation at risk. So the first consideration is regulatory clarity to operationalise the campus.
“Second is demand estimation and financial viability – while many of these institutions already have a pipeline of Indian students studying at their home campuses, they still want a reliable estimate of enrolment by programme before committing.”
Choudaha pointed out that at this point, there is only one American university operating for 2026 and 2027, none from Canada, and only one from continental Europe (Italy) planning to start next year.
“The next wave of growth is likely to come from universities beyond the early movers – Australian and British institutions. Several others are in an exploratory, ‘wait-and-watch’ stage and may act within a couple of years. So, over a five-year period, at least 30 foreign universities are expected to be operational.”
International student mobility is changing
According to Choudaha, this shift stems from a combination of policy reforms in India and changing global circumstances, which are altering the patterns of international student mobility.
He said there are both pull and push factors at play.
“Policy discourse on foreign universities coming to India is nearly two decades old. However, the real pull factor is the large opportunity that NEP 2020, followed by the University Grants Commission (UGC) regulations and the International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) framework in GIFT City—which is designed to provide a world-class, globally competitive regulatory environment comparable to leading international financial hubs—has opened up.”
He said this has created a genuine policy pathway for foreign universities to establish and operate their own campuses in India.
Explaining the push factors, Choudaha said the pool of Indian students who can afford to invest in overseas education is shrinking because post-graduation employment pathways in host countries are narrowing and currency depreciation has simultaneously increased the cost of studying abroad.
“As a result, the number of international students overall, and Indian students in particular, is expected to decline across the traditional ‘big four’ destinations.
“Among them, Australia and the UK have taken the most proactive approach to engaging with international campuses, since they’re already active in this model in other countries, including China, Malaysia, and the UAE,” he noted.
According to the report, students can currently choose from 91 academic programmes, including 53 undergraduate and 38 postgraduate courses. One of the report’s key findings is that earning an international degree in India can be significantly more affordable than studying overseas.
While the fees at these campuses are more than double (about 115% higher) than those at leading private universities in India, they amount to only around 36% of the cost of studying at the universities’ main campuses abroad.
“Data shows that nearly four in [every] five Indian students who go overseas are at the masters levels. For many families, sending their child abroad for undergraduate education isn’t just an affordability challenge; it’s also a matter of safety and cultural safeguarding,” said Choudaha.
Students rethinking overseas education
The report suggests that these campuses are arriving at a time when many Indian students are rethinking overseas education because of stricter visa rules, rising living expenses, which have made studying in countries such as the US, UK, Australia, and Canada far more expensive.
These factors, along with India’s own regulatory opening, can help India emerge as a regional hub for transnational education, said Choudaha. “But becoming a genuine regional hub will take a few years of reputation-building, and probably a scale well beyond where these campuses are today,” he added.
According to Choudaha, foreign university campuses are more like a Tier-1 private university with the added value of earning a global degree. They are opening up a new set of choices for students.
“However, as the research report shows, all 13 universities combined are expected to enroll fewer than 3,000 students across 91 programmes in the 2026 and 2027 academic year,” said Choudaha.
The report also points out that reliable information on aspects such as faculty, campus life, scholarships, and placements is still limited because most of these campuses are new.
To help students compare options more easily, the report introduces DrEducation UniGrid™, a framework that evaluates campuses on two factors – academic ranking and tuition fees.
Australia leads Indian expansion
Meanwhile, Australia is on track to become India’s leading foreign higher education partner following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to Australia, where education featured prominently in his discussions with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
Two more Australian universities – Victoria University and Flinders University – have secured approval to establish campuses in India, taking the total number of Australian institutions approved or in the pipeline to eight, the highest for any foreign country under India’s National Education Policy (NEP).
Ravneet Pawha, vice-president (Global Engagement) and CEO (South Asia) of Deakin University, told University World News that Australian universities had moved quickly because they recognised India’s changing role in global higher education.
“Australia has been a trusted education partner for India for decades, so this isn’t a new relationship. It is a natural evolution of one built on deep people-to-people ties, shared trust and a strong understanding of each other’s priorities,” Pawha said.
India seen as key talent market
According to Pawha, Australian institutions no longer view India simply as a source of international students.
“India is no longer simply a student market; it is one of the world’s most important talent markets,” she said, adding that Australia’s strengths in applied education, research, innovation and industry engagement align closely with India’s National Education Policy and the country’s Developed India 2047 vision.
Pawha, who had a one-to-one meeting with Modi in Australia, said: “The discussion was not just about student mobility; it was about higher education, research, innovation, skills and workforce readiness. It was about getting global education closer to home where the talent base lies.”
Pawha argued that talent development is becoming the next strategic pillar of bilateral cooperation as both countries seek to build capabilities in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, clean energy, critical minerals and advanced manufacturing.
“As India advances towards Developed India 2047, AI will be a powerful catalyst for productivity, innovation and economic growth,” she said. However, she stressed that technological skills must be complemented by critical thinking, creativity, collaboration and complex problem-solving to prepare graduates for an AI-driven economy.
Capacity building partners
Beyond teaching, Pawha believes international branch campuses should become long-term capability partners for India.
“The real opportunity lies in moving from education partnerships to capability partnerships,” she said, pointing to joint research, technology commercialisation, faculty exchange, industry collaboration and start-up ecosystems as areas where global universities can contribute.
Rather than replacing overseas study, Pawha believes Indian campuses will offer students greater flexibility.
“I see them as creating more pathways rather than replacing study abroad,” she said.
Australian campuses in India would improve affordability and accessibility while allowing students to pursue joint programmes, research collaborations and international mobility across both countries.
Looking ahead, Pawha said the success of the partnership would be measured not by enrolment numbers alone but by the quality of outcomes.
“Success will be measured by the talent and impact we create together,” she said, citing graduate employability, research collaboration, innovation partnerships, workforce mobility and contributions to sectors including AI, healthcare, cybersecurity, clean energy and advanced manufacturing as the defining indicators of the next phase of India-Australia education cooperation.
