University of Southampton Establishes First Foreign Offshore Campus in India

The University of Southampton is pioneering as the first foreign university to establish an offshore campus in India, under the new National Education Policy. The Indian campus will offer degrees identical to those in the UK, starting July 2025, featuring courses in diverse subjects like business, computing, and biosciences.

The UK's University of Southampton has made history as the first foreign university to set up an offshore campus in India, aligned with the new National Education Policy, the Centre announced on Thursday.

The announcement follows the University Grants Commission (UGC) regulations unveiled in 2023, which facilitate the establishment of foreign higher educational institutions in India.

At a notable event, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar handed over a Letter of Intent (LoI) to university representatives, marking a significant step forward in this educational collaboration.

Officials reported that the University of Southampton's proposal for a branch campus in Gurugram received approval from the UGC's standing committee, consisting of esteemed academics both from India and abroad, resulting in the issuance of the LoI as per the regulations.

UGC Chairman Jagadesh Kumar stated, 'The degrees awarded by the India campus of the University of Southampton will be the same as in the host university. The programmes offered will maintain the same academic and quality standards.'

The academic programmes at the Indian campus are set to commence in July 2025, offering courses in fields such as business and management, computing, law, engineering, art and design, biosciences, and life sciences.

(With inputs from agencies.)