Article

Top 5 challenges for international branch campuses setting up in India

• 28, May 2025

With the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, India’s once-impenetrable regulatory wall in higher education is beginning to open small windows of opportunity. The country has now officially allowed ranked international universities to establish campuses in India

Regulatory maze

Indian universities also have classifications (like 2(f), 12(b), Category 1) that determine their privileges. Where do international branch campuses fit in? Will they need to comply with UGC regulations?

Placements matter

India’s engineering and management education is driven by the placements students get. Placements for Australian universities mean the time students spend in industry as part of their curriculum, like placements for teacher education programs in schools or nursing programs in hospitals

Study where

A looming question, for which we still don’t have clear data, is whether Indian students want to study in an international university or internationally. 

How to money

In India, higher education has to be “not for profit.” There are restrictions on what can be done with surplus. Since all private higher education providers in India are “trusts,” they must follow regulatory requirements as not-for-profit entities. 

Priced to perfection

International branch campuses currently tend to be priced at or slightly above highly ranked Indian private providers but below what students would pay to study at the home campus.