Foreign Universities in India 2026: Full List of Campuses, Courses, and Fees

International education is moving to Indian soil. Instead of flying abroad for a foreign degree, students can now study on a UK or Australian university campus set up right here in India. This guide breaks down which universities have arrived, what they teach, what it costs, and how to pick the right one for you.

What Are Foreign University Campuses in India?

A foreign university campus in India is a branch of an overseas university that offers the same degree, taught largely by the same faculty, without students having to leave the country. These campuses operate under the University Grants Commission's (UGC) Foreign Higher Educational Institutions Regulations, which allow approved foreign universities to set up standalone campuses and grant degrees that carry the same recognition as the parent institution's degree abroad.

This is different from older "twinning" or franchise arrangements. In most of these new campuses, the curriculum is designed and delivered by the home university, and a share of the faculty is flown in from the main campus abroad.

Which Foreign Universities Are Already Operating or Approved in India?

As of mid-2026, seven foreign universities have either launched or received UGC approval for Indian campuses, with several more in the pipeline. Here's where things stand, based on the latest campus planning updates:

Several other institutions have also announced plans or received approval, including:

•    Illinois Institute of Technology, Mumbai

•    University of Aberdeen, Mumbai

•    Victoria University, Delhi NCR

•    Coventry University, GIFT City

•    Western Sydney University, Greater Noida

•    Birkbeck, University of London, Bengaluru

•    Istituto Europeo di Design, Mumbai

Separately, Queen's University Belfast (a UK institution) and SDA Bocconi School of Management (Italy) run India-based programs through Mumbai and GIFT City respectively, and are covered in detail below.

What Does Deakin University Offer at Its GIFT City Campus?

Deakin was the first foreign university to open a full campus in India, and it operates out of GIFT City in Gujarat with two postgraduate programs. Deakin has also had a presence in India since 1994, when it became the first foreign university to open an operations office in the country.

What programs and rankings does Deakin bring to India?

Deakin currently runs two courses at GIFT City:

•    Master of Business Analytics: accredited by AACSB, EQUIS, and ACS, and developed in consultation with firms including PwC, Deloitte, and KPMG

•    Master of Cyber Security (Professional): graduates become eligible for membership of the Australian Computer Society, and the course includes hands-on work in Deakin's cybersecurity labs

Deakin is ranked in the top 1% of universities worldwide and within the top 200 in the QS World University Rankings, and it also features in the THE Top 50 Under 50 list of young universities globally. Both courses run over four trimesters of full-time study plus up to six months of internships, with faculty drawn from Deakin's own staff as well as PhDs from IITs and IIMs.

What are the fees and scholarships at Deakin GIFT City?

•    Total tuition fee: AUD 39,600, payable in four trimester-wise installments of roughly AUD 9,900 each

•    Deakin GIFT City Merit Scholarship: a 25% tuition waiver (AUD 9,900) for students meeting academic and extracurricular benchmarks

•    Bursary for early cohorts: a 20% waiver (AUD 7,920) offered to students admitted in the initial intakes

•    Payments are processed through Flywire, which handles the INR-to-AUD conversion automatically

Admission requires a valid bachelor's degree, plus an aptitude test score (CAT, XAT, GATE, GRE, GMAT, CMAT, NMAT, or SNAP) for the Business Analytics program. The cybersecurity program requires a related undergraduate degree or any undergraduate degree plus two years of relevant work experience.

In a podcast with Deakin Univeristy India Students, we have discussed about some courses, check it out here: Click Here

Also, check out our reel and video on Deakin University Gift Campus. 

What Makes SDA Bocconi's Mumbai Program Different From Other B-Schools?

SDA Bocconi's Asia Center has run out of Mumbai since 2012 and is the only business school in India offering a mandatory four-month immersion term in Milan, Italy, taught mostly by faculty flown in from Europe. It is the Indian home of the International Master in Business (IMB), a 22-month full-time postgraduate program.

How is SDA Bocconi ranked and accredited?

According to the Financial Times, SDA Bocconi's Global MBA is ranked 4th in the world (2025), and its business school is ranked 6th in Europe (2024). The school holds triple accreditation (AACSB, EQUIS, and AMBA), a distinction held by only a small number of business schools globally. Students join a network of 140,000+ global alumni, including more than 1,400 in India.

What happens during the Milan immersion?

An entire term of the IMB program is held on Bocconi's Milan campus, where students study alongside roughly 1,900 exchange students from around 100 nationalities. During this term, students have taken on live projects and internships with organizations such as Prada, Bulgari, Moncler, and NTT Data and have interned with firms including PHD Media (an Omnicom Media Group company) on campaigns for Volkswagen Group's CUPRA brand.

What are the fees, scholarships, and placement numbers?

•    Total program fees: ₹20,75,000 (excluding taxes), made up of a ₹2,75,000 admission fee and ₹18,00,000 in tuition, payable in installments

•    Scholarships: merit-based tuition waivers of up to 80%, with indicative brackets tied to test scores. For example, CAT 94+ percentile or NMAT 245+ can qualify for a 50% to 80% waiver

•    Placements (2026 batch): the highest package recorded so far is 28 LPA, with recruiters including Dell Technologies, Marsh McLennan, L'Oréal, Grant Thornton, Deloitte USI, AB InBev, GSK, Kraft Heinz, HDFC Ergo, ICICI Prudential, ICICI Bank, and Michael Page

•    Batch profile (2024 to 2026 cohort): 378 students, average age 23, about 60% with prior work experience, and 52% women

How do you apply to SDA Bocconi in Mumbai?

Applicants need an undergraduate degree with a minimum of 55% across Class 10, Class 12, and undergraduate studies (with a combined average of at least 70%), plus a valid score from CAT, GMAT, NMAT, GRE, or the Bocconi Test. The admissions process includes a 20-minute AI-based interview followed by a personal interview. For the 2026 to 2028 intake, application rounds close on November 21, 2025, January 22, 2026, and March 23, 2026, with an application fee of ₹3,500.

We did a video with Leonardo Etro from SDA Bocconi Asia Centre, where he talked about the how to become an Investment banker, you can check it out here.

What Is Queen's University Belfast Building at GIFT City?

Queen's University Belfast is setting up a campus at GIFT City, Gujarat, that replicates its Belfast programs directly for Indian students, with campus construction currently under progress. The university plans a dual intake in January and September, and its admission process does not require an entrance exam; eligibility is instead checked against academic background, such as a relevant graduation subject.

Programs planned for the GIFT City campus include:

•    MSc Construction & Project Management

•    MSc Business Analytics

•    MSc Financial Analytics

•    MSc Finance

As construction and approvals progress, the university is also working on pathways for students to spend part of their studies at the Belfast campus itself.

What Other UK and Australian Universities Are Setting Up in India?

Beyond Deakin, SDA Bocconi, and Queen's Belfast, at least half a dozen other well-known universities are opening campuses across Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Delhi NCR. Here's a quick look at what each brings to the table, based on campus planning updates:

•    University of Southampton (Gurugram): Operating in India with plans to keep expanding its course list, working toward building out a full-fledged university offering over time rather than a single program.

•    University of Bristol (Mumbai): A Russell Group member and one of the UK's top research universities, offering six programs in its first year: three undergraduate (including data science and economics) and three postgraduate, including a Master's in Finance and Investment and a Master's in Financial Technology with Data Science. Bristol has also partnered with the Maharashtra state government on fully sponsored scholarships for students from non-metro areas.

•    University of Liverpool (Bengaluru): A Russell Group member ranked in the Top 150 globally by QS, with postgraduate programs including an MSc in Computer Science and an MSc in Accounting and Finance, plus access to Bloomberg Labs for finance students.

•    University of York (Mumbai): Rated Gold for teaching and ranked in the Top 10 for research among UK institutions, ranked 169th globally by QS, offering postgraduate programs in AI, Management, and Finance.

•    University of Aberdeen (Mumbai): One of the world's oldest universities, established in 1495, offering one-year postgraduate programs including an MBA (EQUIS accredited) and an MSc in AI, supported by an industry advisory board that includes BlackRock, HDFC, and Apollo Hospitals.

•    University of New South Wales (Bengaluru): Approved for an India campus as of June 2026.

•    University of Wollongong (GIFT City): Already operational in GIFT City alongside Deakin.

• University of Western Australia: Named in outreach notes as one of the universities exploring an India entry, alongside Western Sydney University, though detailed program plans have not yet been finalized publicly.

What Role Does Eruditus Play in Bringing Global Universities to India?

Eruditus is an education technology company that partners with foreign universities to help them design and run campus experiences in India, working alongside university teams on curriculum delivery, faculty coordination, and the student experience. Based on shared campus planning notes, the common model across these partnerships includes:

•    Campus-wide experiential learning, rather than a purely lecture-based format

•    A provost or academic head from the home country, supported by a faculty mix where a significant share of instructors are international

•    Curriculum designed by the main overseas campus, so degrees mirror what's taught abroad

•    Access to a global alumni network tied to the parent university's brand

This model is part of why several of the universities listed above, including Liverpool, York, and Aberdeen, have been able to move relatively quickly from approval to admissions.

How Should You Choose Between These Foreign University Campuses?

The right choice depends on your budget, career goals, and how much international exposure you want built into your degree. A few questions worth asking before you shortlist:

1. Is the program UGC-approved, and does it lead to a directly transferable degree? Check the university's current approval status, since some campuses are still awaiting final clearance.

2. How much of the curriculum and faculty come from the home campus? Programs like SDA Bocconi's IMB (with a mandatory Milan term) or Deakin's GIFT City courses (with faculty visiting from Australia) differ from programs run mostly by local hires.

3. What's the real cost after scholarships? Several of these programs, including Deakin and SDA Bocconi, offer meaningful merit-based waivers, so it's worth checking your eligibility before comparing headline fees.

4. What are the placement outcomes and which companies actually recruit from that campus? Ask for recent placement reports rather than relying only on brand reputation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are foreign university degrees from Indian campuses valid abroad?

Yes, provided the campus is approved under the UGC's Foreign Higher Educational Institutions Regulations. These degrees are issued by the parent university and generally carry the same recognition as a degree earned on the home campus, though it's worth confirming the specific accreditation of any program before applying.

Do I need CAT, GMAT, or GRE to apply to these programs?

It depends on the university and course. SDA Bocconi and Deakin's Business Analytics program accept scores from CAT, GMAT, GRE, NMAT, and similar exams, while some programs, such as Queen's University Belfast's GIFT City courses, do not require an entrance exam and instead evaluate academic eligibility directly.

Which foreign university campus in India is the cheapest?

Costs vary widely by program and scholarship eligibility. Deakin's GIFT City programs run to roughly AUD 39,600 in tuition, while SDA Bocconi's IMB is priced at about ₹20.75 lakh before scholarships. Both offer substantial merit-based waivers that can significantly lower the actual cost.

Which foreign university opened India's first full campus?

Deakin University holds this distinction, having opened its GIFT City, Gujarat campus as the first standalone foreign university campus in India, building on an India presence that dates back to 1994.