{"id":6610,"date":"2026-03-25T12:53:31","date_gmt":"2026-03-25T07:23:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/trade-policy\/?p=6610"},"modified":"2026-03-25T12:53:31","modified_gmt":"2026-03-25T07:23:31","slug":"as-uk-universities-open-their-campuses-in-india-are-the-days-of-nalanda-back","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/trade-policy\/as-uk-universities-open-their-campuses-in-india-are-the-days-of-nalanda-back\/6610\/","title":{"rendered":"As UK Universities open their campuses in India, are the days of Nalanda back?"},"content":{"rendered":"

More than a century after Jamini Sen<\/a> shattered glass ceilings as the first woman Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow in 1912, a new chapter in India-UK academic history is being written. This time, however, the trailblazers aren\u2019t crossing the oceans to the UK; the UK is coming to them.<\/p>\n

With the recent inauguration of the <\/span>University of Southampton<\/a>\u2019s<\/span> campus in Gurugram, the first foreign university to operationalize a full-fledged campus in India and a subsequent wave of approvals for institutions like <\/span>Liverpool, York, and Bristol<\/span>, the Indian higher education landscape is undergoing a structural maturation.<\/span><\/p>\n

The push for foreign campuses is fueled by a unique demographic and economic convergence. India is currently at the peak of its <\/span>demographic dividend<\/span>, with over 53 million students currently enrolled in tertiary education.<\/span> However, the socio-economic reality is tiered.\u00a0For the growing middle class, international education is the ultimate status symbol and a ticket to global employability.<\/span> However, the cost of living and tuition in London or Manchester, often exceeding \u20b940-50 lakh per year, remains out of reach for many.\u00a0 So, in a good news for the aspirational people, foreign campuses in India are targeting a \u201csweet spot\u201d by offering degrees at <\/span>roughly 50% of the cost<\/span> of studying abroad.<\/span> For instance, Southampton\u2019s fees are approximately \u20b912 lakh, making it accessible to a much broader segment of the 250 million-strong Indian middle class.<\/span><\/p>\n

But this sudden influx of foreign universities is not in legal isolation. the\u00a0 <\/span>National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 forms the catalyst. <\/span>Before this reform, foreign universities were mired in a regulatory no-man\u2019s land.<\/em> The new policy has introduced several game-changers which now allows universities to properly take roots. First, the top-ranked foreign universities (in the global top 500) can now operate with independent campuses, set their own fee structures, and repatriate profits. Second, the policy aims to reduce brain drain<\/em> and save precious foreign exchange.<\/span> Estimates suggest that localized foreign degrees could save India up to <\/span>$113 billion<\/span> in foreign exchange by 2040. Third,<\/span> even for those without physical campuses, NEP 2020 allows for dual degrees where students spend part of their time in India and part abroad.<\/span><\/p>\n

Why India is the ultimate \u201cProfit Center\u201d for UK universities<\/strong><\/h3>\n

For UK institutions, the move to India is as much about financial survival as it is about academic prestige. Back home, UK universities have faced a \u201cperfect storm\u201d of domestic tuition fee freezes and shifting immigration policies that have cooled international enrollments in Britain.<\/span> India represents a massive, untapped market that provides a sustainable long-term revenue stream. Also, unlike the UK\u2019s saturated market, India offers a scale that is unparalleled. Institutions like the University of Bristol and Liverpool are planning to scale to thousands of students within the first few years.
\nHowever, another curious effect can take place, increased student immigration from African countries.\u00a0<\/span>Historically, India was a preferred destination for African students due to affordable living costs and Commonwealth ties. While that trend dipped in the early 2020s, the arrival of UK campuses could spark a resurgence.\u00a0A student from Nigeria or Kenya may find it easier to secure a visa and afford living costs in India compared to the UK, while still receiving a globally recognized British degree. Moreover, for African students, India serves as a middle ground, offering world-class standards at a fraction of the cost of Western cities.<\/p>\n

As India positions itself as a global knowledge hub (reminiscent of ancient Nalanda), it is actively marketing its \u201cStudy in India\u201d portal to African nations, viewing them as key partners in the South-South cooperation.<\/p>\n

When Jamini Sen practiced medicine in the 1900s, the flow of knowledge was strictly one-way. Today, the decentralization of elite education suggests a more equitable future. As UK campuses take root in Gurugram, Bengaluru, and GIFT City, they aren\u2019t just selling degrees; they are participating in the Viksit Bharat @2047 vision<\/a>, turning India\u2019s youth bulge into a global talent pool that serves not just the subcontinent, but the world.<\/span><\/p>\n

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More than a century after Jamini Sen shattered glass ceilings as the first woman Fellow of the Royal College of\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":469,"featured_media":6615,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,53,5],"tags":[3916,3919,3918,3917],"class_list":["post-6610","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-india","category-policy","category-united-kingdom","tag-jamini-sen","tag-national-education-policy-nep-2020","tag-university-of-southampton","tag-viksit-bharat-2047-vision"],"reading_time":"4 min read","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/trade-policy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6610","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/trade-policy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/trade-policy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/trade-policy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/469"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/trade-policy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6610"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/trade-policy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6610\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6684,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/trade-policy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6610\/revisions\/6684"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/trade-policy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6615"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/trade-policy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6610"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/trade-policy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6610"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/trade-policy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6610"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}