India’s decision to open its doors to overseas universities will only be successful if fees are set at an affordable level and “structural challenges” can be avoided, according to experts.
Encouraging branch campuses in India is intended to foster “internationalisation at home so that Indian students gain international exposure without the cost and challenge of moving abroad”, said Manju Singh, former joint secretary of the University Grants Commission (UGC).
Changes made under the National Education Policy 2020 – which Singh helped draft – aim to make India “a global study destination providing premium education at affordable cost”, she told a webinar organised by Jetri, an advisory firm for education institutions in India and abroad.
Her comments came as global interest in India’s higher education market accelerates.
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During a visit to India this week, UK prime minister Keir?Starmer?backed British universities’ expansion into the country, noting that new campuses from Lancaster University?and the University of Surrey?had been approved.
Under the new framework, top foreign universities – those ranked among the world’s top 500 or otherwise deemed reputable? may apply through a single-window online process to set up Indian branch campuses.
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Institutions will enjoy autonomy over admissions, fees and staffing but must publish full programme and refund details 60 days before admissions open.
No fees can be collected until approval is granted, and degrees awarded in India will be automatically recognised for further study and public employment.
Philip?Altbach, emeritus professor at?Boston College, called the reform “a very positive step” but warned that “structural challenges” could limit participation.
“If India expects foreign institutions to fund full-fledged campuses, the uptake will be limited,” he said, citing faculty mobility and regulatory complexity as additional hurdles.
He added that while India’s demographics and economic rise make it an attractive market, “India must hold these foreign institutions accountable, but that requires strong supervision without excessive bureaucracy. India is great at bureaucracy but not great at supervision.”
Singh said several states, including Maharashtra, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh, are already offering land and infrastructure to attract early entrants.
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The framework, she added, seeks to “balance openness and safeguards”, requiring transparency, grievance redressal systems and UGC permission before any campus closure.
Both speakers agreed that the experiment’s long-term success will depend on academic quality and access.
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Singh said international campuses could spur competition and bring new curricula and global teaching models but warned that affordability must remain central: “If fees remain high, we risk a two-tier system. Need-based scholarships will be essential.”
Altbach?shared the concern. “Very few branch campuses worldwide offer such scholarships,” he noted. “Unless Indian regulators require it, inequality will persist.”
He also urged governments to match reform with investment.
“India has underinvested in higher education for half a century,” he said. “Reforms are important but it starts with resources.”
Singh concluded that while early foreign campuses may not immediately match their parent institutions, the policy represents India’s first serious step toward global engagement in higher education.
“The intent is good,” she said. “Now the implementation will tell the story.”
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