The entry of UK universities into India is creating new opportunities for students to access globally recognised degrees and international academic exposure without having to move overseas immediately.
With campuses emerging in major education hubs, students from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities could have a wider range of options to pursue international-quality higher education closer to home.
According to Rittika Chanda Parruck MBE, Director Education India, British Council, campuses can also act as a bridge between the Indian and UK education systems, allowing students to follow a more flexible, staged pathway to international education.
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While speaking to Hindustan Times, Rittika shares how campuses will provide global education to Indian students, about the India-UK mutual recognition of qualifications agreement, international academic standards and more. Read the full interview here.
Question 1: UK universities setting up campuses in India is being seen as a major shift in the international education landscape. How do you see these campuses changing access to global-quality education for Indian students, particularly those from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities?
In the first wave of UK universities setting up in India we see them aggregate in large metros that are already the hub of education for domestic students. Each year students from Tier 2 and 3 cities travel to this education hubs to join private premium universities, located their but now they will have the choice of a global university branch campus to consider when they think of their study destination post school and undergraduate courses.
In this context, international universities will add to the growing range of academic options available to students from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities. Many of these learners have an aspiration to travel overseas, get global qualifications and exposure.
These campuses will offer the same academic rigour, quality assurance frameworks, and globally recognised degrees as those delivered at their UK home institutions. The fact that the University of Bristol Mumbai campus has already seen many students from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities in its founding cohort is an encouraging indication of this potential.
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Question 2: Beyond access, how can UK campuses in India create meaningful pathways for students to study, work and build careers internationally? What role will student mobility between India and the UK play in this?
UK campuses in India can serve as a bridge between the Indian and UK education ecosystems, giving students access to international exposure without requiring them to immediately move overseas. They can now have a staged approach of first-hand experience a different pedagogical approach, living away from home but in their home country and then travelling overseas for further education. The staged approach may work better for some students than directly going from home to an international campus. Any of the 9 UK universities currently on their journey to setting up in India will give young people exciting qualifications recognised world over and customised to equip them to join the global workforce should they wish to go on that adventure. It will also remain embedded in local context and provide more options and flexibility.
This can include UK faculty teaching in India, interaction with students at the UK home campus, international alumni networks and opportunities for periods of study in the UK. Such two-way engagement can help students build intercultural understanding, adaptability and global networks. Importantly, student mobility will remain a key part of this ecosystem: while some students will continue to pursue a full overseas experience, others can follow a more flexible pathway that combines study in India with targeted international exposure.
These campuses can also strengthen the connection between international education and employability by embedding industry engagement into the student experience. Partnerships with businesses can provide opportunities for internships, placements, real-world projects and research collaborations, helping students understand how their skills translate across markets. In the longer term, stronger two-way academic mobility, combined with industry links and international alumni networks, can create pathways for students to pursue further study, research and careers across both India and the UK – while also enabling them to build the skills and networks to contribute to and create opportunities in both ecosystems.
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Question 3: The India-UK Mutual Recognition of Qualifications agreement was signed in 2022. From your experience as part of the Joint Taskforce, how important is qualification recognition in making cross-border education and mobility more seamless for Indian students?
The India-UK Mutual Recognition of Qualifications agreement has been a significant milestone in strengthening education ties between our two countries. From the British Council’s perspective, qualification recognition is one of the most important enablers of international mobility because it gives students, universities and employers confidence that their academic qualifications will be recognised and give them the passport to jobs and further education across borders.
For Indian students, it has helped create clearer pathways for study, research and future careers, while supporting deeper collaboration between higher education institutions in both countries. Now students who have studied in the UK can return to their homes with confidence that they will be able to use their qualifications from UK in India and this will also allow UK students to come and study in India eventually. The UK IBC’s provide UK qualifications recognised in India. If there was no Mutual Recognition of Qualification these qualifications would not be recognised and these campuses would not see exchange of students with local HE institutions. Now a student completing UG in a IBC can go on to study masters in an Indian institution and those with UG in institutions can easily study in the IBCs.
More broadly, it reflects our shared commitment to internationalised, high-quality education and complements wider developments such as India’s National Education Policy and the India-UK Vision 2035. Ultimately, the agreement is about more than recognising qualifications. It is about enabling the exchange of talent, knowledge and ideas that will strengthen both education systems and help address shared global challenges through education, research and innovation.
Question 4: How can UK campuses in India balance international academic standards with the needs of India’s rapidly changing job market, particularly in areas such as AI, technology, skills and emerging industries?
The key is to balance academic parity with contextual relevance. UK campuses in India will maintain the same rigorous academic standards, quality assurance mechanisms and globally benchmarked qualifications as their home institutions, while designing programmes around India’s evolving workforce needs. This means bringing the strengths of UK universities in areas such as research, critical thinking, independent learning and technology, while responding to demand in emerging fields including AI, advanced technology, STEM, climate science, creative industries and advanced manufacturing, with the University of Liverpool’s campus in Bengaluru, India’s Silicon Valley, well positioned to support this evolving skills landscape. Curriculum development should be informed not only by academic priorities but also by engagement with Indian industries, businesses, alumni and other partners, ensuring that students develop globally relevant knowledge alongside skills that are meaningful in the Indian context.
The focus ultimately needs to be on preparing graduates not just for the jobs that exist here and now, today, but for a market that will continue to change rapidly and remain relevant anywhere in the world. Industry perspective will be embedded in the learning experience through live projects, internships, placements, research and development and collaboration on real-world challenges. This approach can help students develop the technical capabilities as well as the adaptability, problem-solving, creativity and human skills needed to work alongside emerging technologies such as AI. The opportunity is not to choose between international standards and Indian relevance, but to combine both – giving students a globally benchmarked education while equipping them to contribute effectively to India’s rapidly evolving economy and emerging industries.
Question 5: What opportunities do these campuses create for deeper academic collaboration between Indian and UK institutions – in areas such as research, faculty exchange, joint programmes and innovation?
UK campuses in India can create a much deeper and more sustained form of academic collaboration between the two countries. Their physical presence provides a platform for Indian and UK universities to work together on joint research, co-create programmes, develop doctoral and research-training pathways, and enable faculty exchange through visiting scholars, joint teaching and research supervision. Importantly, this can build on the strong partnerships many UK universities already have with Indian institutions rather than operating in isolation. For example, UK universities are exploring joint labs, collaborative research facilities and programmes with Indian institutions, one such example include – University of Birmingham and Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) launched a Joint Masters programme in Sustainable Energy Systems in India.
On the faculty exchange part – UK universities will recruit faculty in line with the standards and transparent recruitment procedures set out by the home campus of the university. UK universities are seeing a trend of many Indian diaspora faculty from the UK and other parts of the world seeing this as an opportunity to return home or live and work for the first time in the country of their ancestors. This trend demonstrates how attractive India is becoming as an international education hub and how faculty believe they can contribute and benefit by being a part of the dynamic higher education ecosystem evolving here.
There is also significant potential for these campuses to become hubs for innovation by bringing together universities, industry and the wider research ecosystem. India’s strengths in technology, entrepreneurship and scale, combined with UK expertise in research and innovation, can support work in areas such as AI, climate science, advanced technology, healthcare and advanced manufacturing. The University of Liverpool’s existing collaborations in Bengaluru with IISc Bengaluru, for instance, demonstrate how engagement can extend beyond student recruitment towards research integration and ecosystem development.
Question 6: What role can the British Council play in enabling more UK universities to establish meaningful and sustainable campuses in India?
The British Council plays a key role as a collaborator, convener and bridge-builder between UK universities and India’s higher education ecosystem. This includes helping institutions interpret and navigate evolving UGC regulations, providing market and cultural insights, facilitating engagement with regulators, government bodies and potential Indian partners, and supporting scoping visits and state-level introductions. The organisation has already played this role by convening five UK universities with international campus experience to share feedback with the UGC during the formulation of the IBC regulations, supporting engagement around GIFT City regulations, and developing a step-by-step guide for UK institutions. Through the UK Universities in India Members Programme (UKUIMP), it also creates a platform for universities to share experiences, address common challenges and build a sense of collective accountability. Ultimately, the aim is not simply to help universities enter India, but to ensure they do so meaningfully, sustainably and with a spirit of mutuality and reciprocity, becoming part of India’s higher education ecosystem and contributing to research, innovation, skills and student outcomes.
Question 7: Looking ahead, what would success look like for the UK campus model in India five years from now, and what more needs to be done to ensure it translates into greater access, employability and global opportunities for Indian students?
Looking ahead, success should be measured not simply by the number of UK campuses or students enrolled, but by the ecosystems and opportunities they create. The India–UK Vision 2035 has provided an important strategic foundation for this deeper education partnership, enabling greater collaboration in higher education, research, skills, innovation and mobility. The next step is to translate that vision into tangible outcomes for Indian students – wider access to globally recognised qualifications, including for students from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities; stronger employability through industry partnerships, internships, live projects and research-led learning; and greater global opportunities through faculty and student exchange, periods of study in the UK and international research networks. Over time, the strongest measure of success will be whether these campuses become vibrant hubs for research, innovation and entrepreneurship, with graduates not only securing jobs but creating jobs, driving innovation and building careers that can move across industries and borders. This will require continued investment in affordability and scholarships, strong Indian academic and industry partnerships, faculty development and exchange, and deeper integration into India’s research and innovation ecosystem – ensuring the ambition of India–UK Vision 2035 translates into meaningful, long-term outcomes for students and both countries.
