UGC Chief Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar in an interview with IANS highlighted that universities from major countries will be setting up campuses in India.
" Universities from the USA, UK, France, Australia and Italy have expressed their interest. It is expected that once this regulatory provision is announced, well-performing foreign universities featuring in the global rankings will come forward to apply," stated Kumar when asked about prominent foreign universities that are going to set up campuses in India.
The idea behind allowing foreign campuses to be set up in India is to provide an international dimension to higher education, permit Indian students to obtain foreign qualifications at an affordable cost, and make India an attractive global study destination, according to Kumar.
Kumar has also highlighted that 49 foreign higher education institutions (HEIs) have collaborated with Indian institutions with the UGC also approaching the Ambassadors and Heads of Missions of nearly 66 countries whose universities are eligible for collaboration, which include the USA, UK, Australia, Canada, Germany, Singapore, Israel, New Zealand, Norway, Malaysia, etc.
"Meetings with select US universities with the support of the Indian Mission and German universities in collaboration with DAAD were organised," Kumar said in the interview.
UGC also recently increased the seats for international students to 25 per cent in HEIs apart from the ones in exchange programmes.
"Each faculty member can also take two international students in PhD programme as supernumerary positions. The HEIs have established the Office for International Affairs at their campus, which will function as a single point of contact for international students. It will address grievances and help them network with fellow students. Fellowships are being provided to international students by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR). Also, the 'Study in India' initiative of the Ministry of Education caters to the needs of international students seeking admission in India," Kumar stated in the interview.
(Inputs from IANS)
