Read or download the official PDF of this gazette notification issued by the Ministry of Education on 12th August 2026. Classified under Press Release.
Executive Summary
This report outlines the Ministry of Education's initiatives to internationalize higher education by facilitating foreign university campuses in India and establishing Indian institutional campuses abroad. It highlights key regulatory updates from the University Grants Commission (UGC), progress under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, and the status of the PM-USHA funding scheme through 2026. The document provides statistical data on student mobility and institutional rankings to demonstrate India's evolving role in the global education sector.
Key Points / Main Content
Establishment of Foreign and Overseas Campuses
The UGC has issued 16 Letters of Intent (LoIs) to Foreign Higher Educational Institutions (FHEIs) from the UK, USA, Italy, and Australia to operate in India.
The University of York, University of Bristol, University of Aberdeen, and Illinois Institute of Technology have received approval to commence operations in Mumbai.
Indian institutions have expanded globally: IIT Madras (Zanzibar, 2023), IIT Delhi (Abu Dhabi, 2024), and IIM Ahmedabad (Dubai, 2025).
University of Southampton and University of New South Wales have already established campuses in Gurugram and Bengaluru.
Regulatory and Quality Enhancements
New UGC regulations support Joint, Dual, and Twinning degree programmes and Internship/Apprenticeship Embedded Degree Programs.
The "Professor of Practice" concept and the establishment of Research and Development Cells in Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) have been promoted.
The UTSAH Portal has been initiated to track the implementation and achievements of NEP 2020.
Continuous faculty capacity building is being addressed through the Malaviya Mission Teachers Training Programme (MMTTP).
Digital Initiatives and Global Positioning
The 'Study in India' (SII) portal serves as a one-stop destination for international student admissions and visa applications.
Key digital tools for students include the Academic Bank of Credits (ABC), Automated Permanent Academic Account Registry (APAAR), and the SWAYAM learning platform.
India has increased its representation in the QS World University Ranking 2027 to 52 institutions and ranks 38th globally in the Global Innovation Index (2025).
Funding and Infrastructure
Phase three of Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA), rebranded as PM-USHA, launched with an outlay of Rs 12,926.10 crore for the 2023-2026 period.
In Maharashtra, 144 projects totaling Rs 1,431.31 crore have been approved under this scheme to support unserved and underserved areas.
Impact Analysis
Foreign Higher Educational Institutions (FHEIs)Impact: These institutions now have a structured regulatory pathway to establish a physical presence in India, specifically within designated states like Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu.
Action Required: Institutions holding LoIs must finalize operational requirements and adhere to UGC academic standards to transition to full academic operations.
Indian Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs)Impact: Local institutions benefit from increased global competition, opportunities for international partnerships via twinning programs, and significant financial support through PM-USHA.
Action Required: HEIs must implement NEP 2020 guidelines, establish R&D cells, and integrate with digital registries like ABC and APAAR.
Indian and International StudentsImpact: Indian students gain access to international education within the country, while foreign students benefit from a streamlined admission and visa process through the SII portal.
Action Required: Students should utilize the SII portal for admissions and the ABC/APAAR systems for managing their digital academic records and credit transfers.
Government and Educational AuthoritiesImpact: The Ministry of Education and UGC are responsible for oversight, tracking NEP 2020 progress via the UTSAH portal, and managing the large-scale disbursement of PM-USHA funds.
Action Required: Authorities must continue monitoring the quality of accreditation and ensure that infrastructure upgrades meet National Accreditation Board criteria.
Key Entities Referenced
University Grants Commission (UGC): The regulatory body that issued 16 Letters of Intent to Foreign Higher Educational Institutions and established guidelines for joint degree programs and faculty training.
National Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020): The overarching policy framework guiding initiatives for infrastructure upgradation, internationalization, and quality accreditation in higher education.
Pradhan Mantri Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (PM-USHA): A government scheme launched in its third phase (formerly RUSA) with a budget of Rs 12,926.10 crore to support educationally unserved and underserved areas.
Study in India: A flagship initiative launched to promote India as a global study destination and provide a one-stop portal for international student admissions and visas.
IIT Madras, IIT Delhi, and IIM Ahmedabad: Key Indian institutions that have established overseas campuses in Zanzibar, Abu Dhabi, and Dubai respectively to expand India's global educational footprint.
Ministry of Education
Parliament Question: Foreign University
Campuses and Overseas Campuses of Indian
Institutions
प्रव तथ: 12 AUG 2026 6:35PM by PIB Delhi
University Grants Commission (UGC) has issued 16 Letters of Intent (LoIs) to Foreign Higher
Educational Institutions (FHEIs) from Australia, Italy, United Kingdom and the United States of
America. UGC has issued LoIs to six FHEIs in Karnataka, six in Maharashtra, three in Delhi NCR and
one in Tamil Nadu. Out of the six LoIs in Maharashtra, four FHEIs (University of York, University of
Bristol, University of Aberdeen and Illinois Institute of Technology) have been given Letter of
Approval to start academic operations in Mumbai. University of Southampton and University of New
South Wales have already established their campuses in Gurugram and Bengaluru respectively.
IIT Madras, IIT Delhi and IIM Ahmedabad have established their overseas campuses at Zanzibar in
2023, Abu Dhabi in 2024 and Dubai respectively in 2025. IIM Ahmedabad launched a one-year
fulltime MBA programme in Dubai campus in September 2025, along with a General Management
programme, for professionals across the Middle-East, Asia and Africa. The programme has 35 students.
IIT Madras, opened its campus at Zanzibar in 2023 - 35 students have graduated with M Tech degrees
in Data Science and AI and Ocean Structures so far. Over 100 students are in various BS programmes
in Data Science and Chemical Process Engineering. IIT Delhi established its offshore campus in Abu
Dhabi, UAE in 2024 with nine UG, PG and Doctoral courses. In the academic year 2025-26, the
campus had 171 students.
Studying abroad is a matter of individual will and choice, which is contingent on a variety of factors,
including affordability, access to finance, exposure to foreign societies and aptitude for particular
branches of studies. As per information provided by the Bureau of Immigration (BoI), Ministry of
Home Affairs, the number of Indians who disclosed their purpose of visit as STUDY/EDUCATION
while going abroad from 2021 to 2025 is as below:
Year 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Number of 445580 752100 894758 760060 619264
Students
The Government of India, including under National Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020) has undertaken
several initiatives to ensure availability of high-quality education in the higher education, including
through infrastructure upgradation of public funded educational institutions, accreditation of new
institutions and courses which meet the criteria under National Accreditation Board, promotion of
research & innovation and augmenting digital initiatives for accessibility. These initiatives have
contributed to a wider pool of institutions and also in increasing the quality of educational facilities in
the country.In addition, University Grants Commission (UGC) has taken several initiatives to enhance quality of
education, including financial support to HEIs, including issuing regulations for Joint/Dual/Twinning
degree programmes, guidelines for Internship/Apprenticeship Embedded Degree Program,
establishment of Research and Development Cells in HEIs, promoting the concept of Professor of
Practice, accessibility guidelines and standards for Higher Educational Institutions and Universities,
initiation of UTSAH Portal (Undertaking Transformative Strategies and Actions in Higher Education)
to track achievements of NEP 2020, issuing Curriculum and Guidelines on Life Skills (Jeevan Kaushal)
2.0, launching of Malaviya Mission Teachers Training Programme (MMTTP) for continuous capacity
building of faculties.
As an overall result, 52 Indian Institutions are now in the QS World University Ranking (QS WUR)
2027 which is India’s highest ever representation, marking an increase from 11 Indian institutions in
QS WUR 2015. India is ranked 38th position globally as per Global Innovation Index (2025). India is
considered to be one of the largest startup ecosystems in the world (top 3) in scale, funding and unicorn
count.
Further, to attract international students to India, the Ministry has launched the ‘Study in India’ scheme
in 2018 with the aim of promoting India as a global study destination providing world-class education
at affordable costs. An integral part of the programme is the Study in India (SII) portal, a one-stop
destination for admission and visa applications for all incoming foreign students and acts as a gateway
to the Indian higher education ecosystem.
There are 1,289 universities, 48,246 colleges and 15,221 stand-alone institutions in the country, of which
87 universities, 5,380 colleges and 2,426 stand-alone institutions are located in Maharashtra. Maharashtra
is among the top seven states in the country in terms of student enrolment in higher education, with
approximately 46.53 lakh students. Higher education ecosystem in Maharashtra has been significantly
strengthened through digital integration, quality accreditation, online learning, institutional governance
and financial support through initiatives such as Academic Bank of Credits (ABC), Automated Permanent
Academic Account Registry (APAAR), Study Webs of Active Learning for Young Aspiring Minds
(SWAYAM), SAMARTH and PM Vidyalaxmi.
The Government has launched the third phase of Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) in
June 2023 in the form of Pradhan Mantri Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (PM-USHA) for the period 2023-
24 to 2025-26 with an outlay of Rs 12,926.10 crore, including the committed liabilities of the earlier
phases of RUSA, to cater to the needs of educationally unserved/underserved areas. In Maharashtra,
under the Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA), a total of 144 projects, with an approved
amount of Rs. 1,431.31 crore (central share: Rs. 863.37 crore), have been approved under various
components of the Scheme.
This information was given by the Minister of State for Education, Dr Sukanta Majumdar, in a
written reply in the Rajya Sabha today.
*****
RRTN
(रलीज़ आईडी: 2298507) आगंतुक पटल : 455
इस वज्ञ को इन भाषाओ ंम पढ़: Urdu , ही , Tamil