US, UK universities open offshore campuses in Mumbai; programmes, fees, intake explained

MUMBAI: International universities allowed by the University Grants Commission to set up offshore campuses in Mumbai have begun accepting applications for their first cohort, marking a significant step in the country's push to attract global higher-education brands.

Amid tightening of immigration laws by many countries, such transnational education with universities operating both domestic and offshore campuses offers a practical and forward-looking alternative, a university representative noted.These universities, which will offer undergraduate programmes ranging from computer science, artificial intelligence, economics to business administration and creative industries for annual fees of Rs 12-18 lakh and postgraduate courses for up to Rs 20 lakh, plan to open for the 2026 fall intake (Aug-Sept) in Mumbai.

Most are setting up campuses in the eastern suburbs in and around Vikhroli and Powai. They are expected to move to the proposed EduCity in Navi Mumbai, closer to the airport, in coming years.Campus of Illinois Tech is set to open in Vikhroli while University of Aberdeen and UK's University of York will come up in Powai. York has taken up close to 38,000 sq feet in Powai.Illinois has entered into an MoU with Jamshyd N Godrej, chairman and managing director of Godrej & Boyce, even as they inaugurated the Mumbai campus on Tuesday.

President of Illinois Tech, Prof Raj Echambadi, who was part of an interaction, said the 90,000 sq feet space in Vikhroli will have learning facilities and capabilities similar to the main Chicago campus. While the institute opened for admissions this week, a soft launch with campus inquiries started a couple of months ago, said Mallik Sundharam, vice president for enrolment management and student affairs, Illinois Tech.

He added that they have close to a thousand plus inquiries from students in India and countries including the Middle East, Africa and southeast Asia. “We have seen students of Indian origin in the US who wanted to come to India for the experience too,” said Mallik.The Tech university will have seconded faculty from the main campus in Chicago. “We are in the process of recruiting foreign faculty from US and other parts of the world.

We are also in search of high-talented faculty with US degrees in India...,” said Mallik.Most of the universities are planning intake of 30-40 seats. For undergraduate courses, candidates will need at least 75% in Class XII, while some programmes specify qualifications in mathematics and English. Admissions will be open to international students.At Illinois Tech admissions will be based on high school scores, personal essays, and/or scores in other tests.

Its online prospectus says annual fee for the four-year undergrad programme is Rs 16 lakh and fees for graduate programmes is Rs 20 lakh per year.UK's University of York will be offering BSc (honours) and MSc programmes in finance, cyber security, computer science, artificial intelligence and economics. Their online brochure pegged fees for most UG programmes at Rs 12.5 lakh per annum and the one-year master's programme at Rs 15-16.5 lakh.According to the provost of York University, Prof Lindsay Oades, it will prioritise research from day one. Prof Oades, who was deputy dean in Department of Education, University of Melbourne, earlier told TOI that it is an exciting time to be in India and be part of the development of higher education following the implementation of the National Education Policy.He said with a global shift towards transnational education, it is increasingly common for universities to operate both offshore and onshore campuses, and for students to complete parts of their degrees across countries. Prof Oades said he finds the model practical as it offers both local and international exposure at a time when several govts are wary about immigration. The university will initially offer courses on business and computer science and expand based on demand. It has already begun recruitment of both Indian and foreign faculty.Scotland’s 500-year-old University of Aberdeen will also be setting up its Mumbai campus in Powai. Aberdeen will offer programmes in data science and computing science, AI and business management, with fees starting at Rs 12 lakh for Indian students. Most universities are also planning to offer scholarships.