The University of Western Australia (UWA) has secured final regulatory approval for its Chennai campus, clearing the way for teaching to begin less than a month after the university opened its first Indian campus in Mumbai.
India’s University Grants Commission (UGC) has approved the international branch campus, where student orientation began on October 5 and classes are due to start on October 19.
The decision makes UWA the first international higher education provider to establish a campus in Tamil Nadu and the first Australian and Group of Eight university approved to operate in Chennai, according to the university.
Vice-chancellor Amit Chakma said the approval allowed UWA to move from planning its Chennai operation to welcoming students.
“This is a region where we aim to leverage the WA government’s presence as well as long-term academic partnerships,” he said.
“The campus brings UWA’s education to students in a region with exceptional strengths in technology and innovation, while connecting them to the University’s global academic and industry networks.”
UWA Chennai will initially offer undergraduate degrees in business management, computer science, data science and advanced computer science with artificial intelligence, alongside postgraduate programs in information technology and business administration.
The campus occupies around 70,000 square feet on the seventh floor of One National Park on Velachery Main Road, according to The Indian Express.
Its academic focus reflects UWA’s attempt to differentiate its two Indian campuses through their surrounding economies. Chakma previously told The PIE News that Chennai would develop stronger links with IT, manufacturing and engineering, while Mumbai would lean more heavily towards business.
UWA expects to enrol between 100 and 200 students across Mumbai and Chennai by the end of 2026, giving the university an early benchmark for demand as both campuses begin operating.
Its Mumbai campus opened on September 18, marking UWA’s first teaching presence outside Australia and making it the first member of the Group of Eight to open a campus in India.
The university has committed around AUD $80 million to its wholly owned Indian campuses, with a longer-term plan to reach at least 10,000 students across Mumbai and Chennai over the next decade.
Chakma previously said UWA would reassess its physical capacity around the halfway point before deciding whether to expand vertically or move to larger premises.
The campus brings UWA’s education to students in a region with exceptional strengths in technology and innovation, while connecting them to the university’s global academic and industry networks
Amit Chakma, University of Western Australia
The university is entering a rapidly expanding branch-campus market as international universities increase their presence in India under regulations introduced by the UGC in 2023.
The University of Southampton became the first international university to open an Indian branch campus under the framework, while several other overseas institutions have since begun teaching or preparing campuses across cities including Mumbai and Bengaluru.
For UWA, the India expansion is also intended to create a bridge between studying locally and spending time in Australia.
Chakma had told The PIE that students could complete parts of their degrees across India and Perth, including exchanges of six or 12 months, giving those unable to fund an entire overseas degree access to an international experience.
“TNE helps. To us, where the students study is secondary; what they study is important,” he said.
The strategy comes as Australia tightens parts of its international student and migration system and universities increasingly look towards offshore provision to maintain international reach.
UWA has positioned affordability, industry links and mobility as central to its India offer, although its first cohorts will provide an early test of whether growing institutional interest in India can translate into sustained student demand.
The university has recruited academics for its Indian campuses through international searches and is developing industry links designed to provide internships, work-integrated learning and employer involvement in its programs.
Its existing network includes HCLTech, Larsen & Toubro and Australian data-centre operator AirTrunk, while UWA has said its India investment has generated around 100 direct jobs and a further 700 across the wider ecosystem.
Western Australia premier Roger Cook, who inaugurated the Mumbai campus alongside Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis last month, said the Chennai opening would extend the state’s long-term presence in India.
“The State of Tamil Nadu shares many of our strengths in education, skills, technology and industry, and UWA Chennai provides a new platform to deepen these connections and create opportunities for students, businesses and communities in both regions,” said Cook.
UWA chancellor Diane Smith-Gander said Chennai represented an important addition to the university’s growing Indian presence.
“Our ambition is to give them an education that combines the depth of a UWA degree with the opportunities created by studying in one of India’s most dynamic cities,” she said.