Slow start: foreign university campuses in India yet to see full intake
Foreign university campuses in India are experiencing a slower-than-expected start, with initial enrollment numbers falling below targets. Despite the NEP 2020 opening doors for top-tier global institutions, intake remains modest across the 13 newly established campuses.
Why it matters
This trend provides insight into the challenges of internationalizing higher education in India and the current market demand for foreign degrees.
The University of New South Wales (UNSW), one of the world’s top 20 universities, opened its India campus in Bengaluru this August, welcoming its first batch of students across four programmes: the Bachelor of Business, Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, Bachelor of Data Science and Decisions, and Master of Cyber Security. According to a report in The Hindu , UNSW had planned to admit around 30 students to each programme for its inaugural intake. However, the university enrolled a total of 90 students across the four programmes it had envisaged.
UNSW is not alone; it is one of 13 foreign higher education institutions (FHEIs) that have commenced operations in India since 2024, following the introduction of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which paved the way for eligible foreign universities ranked among the world’s top 500 to establish campuses in the country.
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