UK’s Lancaster University to launch campus in Bengaluru

In a move aimed at strengthening educational collaboration between India and the United Kingdom, Lancaster University will soon open a campus in Bengaluru, as reported by Deccan Herald.

The announcement comes after high-level discussions between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer at Mumbai’s Raj Bhavan in Malabar Hill. Starmer’s two-day visit to India, accompanied by a 125-member delegation, placed education at the centre of bilateral talks.

“It is a matter of great pleasure that several UK universities are now establishing campuses in India,” Modi said during the meeting. 

Starmer added, “We are deepening our cooperation in education as we’ve evidenced here today. It is the younger generation in India who will lead the charge toward the 2047 target. The demand for top-quality higher education is immense, so I’m pleased that all British universities will be setting up campuses right here in India — making Britain India’s leading international provider of higher education.”

A joint India-UK statement highlighted the importance of youth, cultural, and educational exchanges in shaping the future of bilateral relations. Both countries also committed to the first Annual Ministerial Strategic Education Dialogue and the implementation of the Programme of Cultural Cooperation signed in May 2025.

More UK universities to come to India

Nine leading UK universities are slated to establish campuses across India. The University of Southampton has already welcomed its first batch of Indian students at its Gurugram campus.

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has issued Letters of Intent (LoI) for branch campuses of the University of Liverpool, University of York, University of Aberdeen, and University of Bristol. Additionally, Queen’s University Belfast and Coventry University have been authorised to open campuses in GIFT City.

During Starmer’s visit, Indian authorities handed over the LoI for Lancaster University’s Bengaluru campus and granted in-principle approval for the University of Surrey’s proposed campus in GIFT City, marking a significant step in UK-India higher education collaboration.