India transforms higher education through foreign campuses and policy reform

India is undergoing significant shifts in its higher education landscape through both international expansion and domestic policy reform. Under 2023 University Grants Commission regulations, 17 foreign universities have been approved to establish campuses in India. Institutions such as the University of Bristol, the University of Liverpool, and the University of Southampton have already begun operations in cities including Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Gurgaon. These campuses offer degrees at approximately half the cost of studying in the United Kingdom, focusing on high-demand fields like artificial intelligence, computer science, and business management.

Simultaneously, the National Education Policy 2020 aims to increase student mobility via the Academic Bank of Credits (ABC). While nearly 69 per cent of responding universities in the latest All India Survey on Higher Education are registered on the ABC, practical implementation remains a challenge. Data shows that only 49 per cent of universities offer multiple entry and exit options, and only 4 per cent have collaborated on joint degree programmes. Experts note a gap between digital infrastructure and actual academic mobility, as receiving institutions still maintain discretion over which transferred credits satisfy their specific qualification requirements.