UGC notifies regulations for foreign universities to set up campuses in India

The University Grants Commission (UGC) on Wednesday notified the regulations for foreign universities to set up and operate their campuses in India with complete autonomy to decide their admission process and fee structure.

The 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 which has envisioned that top universities in the world will be facilitated to operate in India.

UGC chairman M Jagadesh Kumar said, ''The regulations aim to facilitate the entry of Foreign Higher Educational Institutions (FHEIs) into India...and to provide an international dimension to higher education in India.'' ''These



regulations aim to ensure that the education imparted in the (India) campus is at par with that of the main campus in the country of origin and that its operations comply with the applicable laws and regulations,'' he said.

According to the regulations, ''Foreign institutions intending to establish campuses in India should have secured a position within the top 500 in the overall category of global rankings, as decided by the commission from time to time, or should have secured a position within the top 500 in the subject-wise category of global rankings and should possess outstanding expertise in a particular area....'' In case an FHEI desires to receive or utilise foreign contributions, it will have to obtain registration or prior permission under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010 and comply with legal requirements under the FCRA, the UGC stated.