UGC issues guidelines for foreign institutions

THE ENTRY OF FOREIGN VARSITIES INTO THE COUNTRY IS EXPECTED TO PROVIDE MORE OPPORTUNITIES TO INDIAN STUDENTS

- Fareeha Iftikhar

The University Grants Commission (UGC) on Wednesday notified the final regulations that will allow foreign universities to set up campuses in India with complete autonomy to decide their admission processes and fee structure, even as the commission itself will retain the power to keep a close watch on the operations of these universities.

The entry of foreign varsities is expected to provide more opportunities to Indian students and increase the depth of the higher-education sector in India. In turn, the universities will be able to tap into a huge and expanding market in one of the fastest-growing major economies of the world.

A draft of the UGC (Setting up and Operation of Campuses of Foreign Higher Educational Institutions in India) Regulations, 2023, was released by the Commission in January this year. The guidelines have been prepared in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 that envisioned that “top universities in the world will be facilitated to operate in India”.

According to the final guidelines, no Foreign Higher Educational Institutions (FHEIs) can set up campuses in India without UGC’s approval and, at the time of application, should have secured a position in the top 500 in the overall category of global rankings as well as subject-wise category of global rankings put out by the UGC.

“In the case of two or more than two Foreign Higher Educational Institutions intending to collaborate to establish campuses in India, each Foreign Higher Educational Institution should meet the eligibility criteria,” according to the final guidelines.