Good news for students as the University Grants Commission (UGC) will be soon introducing regulations 2023 for foreign universities to set up their campuses in India. This move is set to benefit the students who are unable to afford education abroad due to financial constraints, as stated in a report by IANS.

These universities will also provide a huge cut in tuition fees and provide merit-based scholarships to students who are financially weak. UGC said that it has received over 200 suggestions from Indian and foreign stakeholders.

Institutions from various countries including the United States of America (USA), Australia, France, England and universities such as Oxford University, Melbourne University, Queensland University, Texas University, St Petersburg University and Istituto Marangoni have already displayed their interest in setting up campuses in the country.

The foreign universities have suggested setting up cluster colleges. The UGC said it has prepared a proposal for foreign universities to set up their campuses in collaboration with the Indian universities in the country and would offer degrees to the students.

Why set up foreign universities in India?
According to educationist CS Kandpal, setting up of foreign university campuses in the country will improve the quality of higher education and promote healthy competition. Not only this, it would also focus more on research and innovation and provide more employment opportunities to the students.

The regulatory body is of the notion that since seven to eight lakh students go abroad for studies every year, setting up campuses in India will give these students an opportunity to get a world-class education in their homeland at a lower price. It will also boost research and provide various degree programmes not provided by Indian institutions.

Many Indian professors and researchers are still pursuing joint research with foreign universities. At present, the number of such researchers is limited but it is bound to increase with the opening of foreign varsities here.

Other important information
According to IANS, the foreign universities setting up campuses in India will not get any grants from the state or Central governments, and there would be no direct interference of the governments in the admission process or the fees. The foreign universities will have to keep transparency in the admission and fee structure. Experts stated that despite all this the fees will be less as compared to studying abroad.