Deakin plans foreign student intake, Oz immersion

Deakin University, one of the first foreign universities in the Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City), has completed its first year in the country and is preparing the launch of its second batch. Ravneet Pawha, vice president (global engagement) and chief operating officer (South Asia), spoke with Sheena Sachdeva about the new admission cycle, new courses, immersion programmes in Australia and more. Edited Excerpts:

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Q. The campus was discussed in 2022-23 and you finally inaugurated it in 2024. Take us through what happened over that period.

A. Deakin's been in India for 30 years now. We set up our office in 1994, becoming the world's first foreign university to set up an office in India. In 2022, when the Gujarat International Finance Tec-City opened to international universities for offshore campuses, we started the discussions with the Indian government. In March 2023, we got the approval and within about a year, we launched the campus. We started our first batch in July 2024 and it has completed its first year. These students will get into placement season later this year; we are now recruiting for the second batch.

From ideation to execution, it took about 18 months. Soon after we launched the campus in GIFT City, we heard about the University Grant Commission (UGC) opening up to other foreign universities. But ours became the world's first foreign university to open a campus in India.

Q. How has your experience been?

A. It's been exciting. It's very different because foreign and Indian universities teach differently. It has very different expectations of cultures, bringing the two countries together. We are also learning. This is Deakin's first international branch campus, so we are also doing this for the first time.

However, it is not just about teaching but about bringing the cultures together. It is about bringing the two countries closer. It is also about ensuring that the graduates are work-ready and are global citizens. Overall, it's been a great learning for us, and we believe we are on a strong trajectory.

Q. What regulations did you have to comply with to set up the campus?