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While reports about foreign universities setting up branch campuses in India have generated a lot of excitement, a closer look at their global rankings reveals a more nuanced reality. Most universities coming to India are ranked in the 100-300 range, rather than representing the global elite such as the Ivy League or Oxford or Cambridge.
“It was expected. Most top-ranked universities of the world – like top-20 – have a single-campus policy, or they have multiple campuses in the home country, because they believe that to attract the best faculty and students, it makes sense to concentrate everything on one physical location,” an education expert told FE. “But universities beyond top-50 are more flexible, and they do consider setting up a foreign campus as a practical way of expanding their footprint.”
Giving the example of Australian universities, she added that while Deakin (197th rank in QS 2025) and Wollongong (167th) have set up branch campuses in the GIFT City of Gujarat, the University of Melbourne (13th) has opened the Melbourne Global Centre in New Delhi. “It’s not a teaching campus, but a centre that will focus on strategic partnerships with local players,” she said. “We, however, must remember that the universities coming to India are ranked higher than most Indian institutions – in the QS World University Rankings 2025, there were just 11 Indian universities in top-500, of which eight were IITs. Therefore, they will end up enhancing the quality of Indian education.”
Here’s a brief profile of universities that are in India, or will soon be here:
Deakin University, Australia
Deakin was the first foreign university to open a campus in India (in Gujarat’s GIFT City). It currently offers Master of Business Analytics, and Master of Cyber Security (Professional). Classes started in July 2024, and the official placement season will start soon.
QS World University Rankings
2025 rank: 197
2024 rank: 233
Times Higher Education World University Rankings
2025 rank: 201-250
2024 rank: 251-300
University of Wollongong, Australia
Also located in the GIFT City, Wollongong started classes in November 2024. It offers five courses – Graduate Certificate in Computing, Graduate Certificate in Financial Technology, Master of Computing (Data Analytics), Master of Financial Technology (FinTech), and Master of Financial Technology (FinTech) Extension.
QS World University Rankings
2025 rank: 167
2024 rank: 162
Times Higher Education World University Rankings
2025 rank: 201-250
2024 rank: 201-250
University of Southampton, UK
While Deakin was the first foreign university to set up a campus in the GIFT City (under the regulator IFSCA, or the International Financial Services Centres Authority), Southampton is the first foreign university to operate in India under UGC (University Grants Commission) regulations, and will start classes at its Gurugram campus likely in August 2025.
QS World University Rankings
2025 rank: 80
2024 rank: 81
Times Higher Education World University Rankings
2025 rank: 115
2024 rank: 97
University of Liverpool, UK
Liverpool will open its international campus in Bengaluru, and plans to welcome its inaugural cohort of students in August 2026. It will initially offer subject options in business management, accounting and finance, computer science, biomedical sciences, and game design, with a broader range of disciplines to follow. It will also provide study-abroad opportunities for UK students (to study in India).
QS World University Rankings
2025 rank: 165
2024 rank: 176
Times Higher Education World University Rankings
2025 rank: 160
2024 rank: 168
Illinois Institute of Technology, USA
Illinois Tech is the first US university to be approved by the UGC to establish an independent degree-granting campus in India. Opening in fall 2026, the Illinois Tech Mumbai campus will offer a range of undergraduate and graduate programmes in high-demand fields such as computer science, engineering, and business.
QS World University Rankings
2025 rank: 601-610
2024 rank: 469
Times Higher Education World University Rankings
2025 rank: 351-400
2024 rank: 351-400
Western Sydney University, Australia
Earlier this year, Western Sydney announced it is submitting an application to the UGC to establish a campus in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh. Subject to the relevant regulatory approvals, it will become the first foreign university in Uttar Pradesh, and aims to start classes in computer science, business, and engineering in 2026.
QS World University Rankings
2025 rank: 384
2024 rank: 375
Times Higher Education World University Rankings
2025 rank: 301-350
2024 rank: 301-350
Queen’s University Belfast, UK
Queen’s Belfast will be the first UK Russell Group university to open a campus in the GIFT City, with the first cohort of students expected to start classes in January 2026. The Russell Group is an association of 24 leading UK universities (including Oxford, Cambridge, and Imperial College London). Queen’s Belfast will start with five postgraduate programmes.
QS World University Rankings
2025 rank: 206
2024 rank: 202
Times Higher Education World University Rankings
2025 rank: 201-250
2024 rank: 201-250
University of Surrey, UK
Surrey has unveiled plans for a campus in the GIFT City, with GUS Global Services as strategic partner. While it hasn’t announced the timeline, Surrey said that the campus will focus on teaching and research excellence in business, international finance, computer science, cybersecurity and other areas aligned with the strategic vision of the GIFT City.
QS World University Rankings
2025 rank: 285
2024 rank: 244
Times Higher Education World University Rankings
2025 rank: 201-250
2024 rank: 251-300
University of York, UK
York will open a campus in Mumbai, and aims to welcome students from the academic year 2026-27. Called the University of York, Mumbai, it will initially offer undergraduate and postgraduate courses in computer science with AI and cybersecurity, business, economics, and creative industries, and later focus on areas like biotechnology and agritech.
QS World University Rankings
2025 rank: 184
2024 rank: 167
Times Higher Education World University Rankings
2025 rank: 146
2024 rank: 147
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