The Ministry of Education on Tuesday issued Letters of Approval (LoPs) to three globally reputed foreign universities, paving the way for the establishment of their campuses in India as part of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020’s internationalisation agenda.

The universities receiving approvals are the University of Bristol and the University of York from the United Kingdom, and the University of New South Wales (UNSW) from Australia.

The Letters of Approval were handed over by Higher Education Secretary and University Grants Commission (UGC) Chairman Vineet Joshi in the presence of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Senior representatives from the three universities received the approvals during a ceremony attended by officials from the British and Australian High Commissions, the British Council and the UGC.

New Campuses Planned In Mumbai And Bengaluru

Addressing the gathering, Dharmendra Pradhan said the entry of the three institutions represented another milestone in the implementation of NEP 2020 and India’s efforts to strengthen international collaboration in higher education.

He said the campuses would boost access to quality education, deepen research partnerships and strengthen India’s position as a global education destination.

The University of Bristol will establish its Mumbai Enterprise Campus, offering programmes in areas such as immersive arts, finance, data science, economics, business management, entrepreneurship and innovation.

The University of York will also set up its first overseas campus in Mumbai. Proposed academic programmes include finance, computer science with artificial intelligence, cyber security, economics, business and creative industries management.

Meanwhile, UNSW Bengaluru is scheduled to commence operations in August 2026 at Manyata Business Park. The Australian university plans to offer courses in business, computer science and cyber security while expanding cooperation with India in sectors including renewable energy, healthcare, transport and education.

NEP 2020 Pushes Internationalisation Of Higher Education

Pradhan noted that Mumbai and Bengaluru had emerged as key centres of innovation and technology, describing Bengaluru as “the new Silicon Valley of the eastern part of the world.”

According to the Ministry of Education, the establishment of these campuses forms part of the broader internationalisation agenda under NEP 2020, which seeks to bring global standards to Indian higher education and promote the country as a preferred destination for students.

The UGC regulations governing foreign higher education institutions provide a transparent and time-bound framework for globally reputed universities to establish campuses in India while retaining institutional autonomy and maintaining international standards.

Officials said the initiative would enhance access to international education within the country, encourage academic mobility and strengthen research and innovation ecosystems.

Five Universities Approved So Far

With the latest approvals, five foreign universities have now received Letters of Approval under the UGC framework. Earlier, the University of Southampton and the University of Liverpool had also been granted approval, with Southampton already commencing academic operations for the 2025-26 academic session.

The UGC has additionally issued 10 Letters of Intent to other reputed institutions from the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia and Italy for setting up campuses across India.

Apart from these, Deakin University, the University of Wollongong and Queen’s University Belfast have already begun operations in Gujarat’s GIFT City.

The Ministry said the growing interest from leading international institutions reflected rising confidence in India’s regulatory and academic ecosystem and would help create a globally competitive, inclusive and future-ready higher education landscape.

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