AKIPRESS.COM - Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Monday said that 15 foreign universities will be opening their branches in India by this academic year, particularly in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics streams, The Indian Express reports.
The University of Liverpool, on Monday, formally accorded permission to open its campus in Bengaluru.
A ceremony to hand over the Letter of Intent (LoI) to the University officials was held at New Delhi, which was presided over by Pradhan. This will be the second foreign university to be issued LoI under the UGC (Setting Up and Operation of Campuses of Foreign Higher Educational Institutions in India) Regulations, 2023, a release from PIB said.
Pradhan said, "The University of Liverpool is the fourth foreign university to publicly announce its presence in India. By this academic year, 15 foreign universities will be coming to India, especially in STEMB."
The university was found in 1881 and is a member of the prestigious Russel Group.
The University of Southampton was the first foreign university to receive a LoI from the UGC in 2023 and could open its campus later this year.
The Minister said, "To make the country a VIKSIT Bharat by 2047, the implementation of NEP 2020 in letter and spirit is the key to actualise this ambition. One of the primary recommendations of NEP 2020 is rooted, futuristic and global education and the aim is to produce global citizens."
Bengaluru campus:
Scheduled to welcome its first batch of undergraduate and postgraduate students in August 2026, the university will initially offer programmes in Business Management, Accounting and Finance, Computer Science, and Biomedical Sciences, the PIB said.
Notably, it will also introduce a program in Game Design—a unique offering for a UK university campus in India to offer this innovative subject,,
The Bengaluru campus will create a research-intensive environment. Important fundamental, applied and industry-driven research will be based on the Bengaluru campus, providing solutions to a range of global and local challenges and needs.
Three important MoUs were also signed on Monday to explore future collaborative opportunities with companies and organisations including the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG), AstraZeneca Pharma India Limited, YouWeCan, and Dream11, the release added.
Vineet Joshi, Interim Chair, UGC and Secretary of the Department of High Education said the LoI is not just a ceremonial gesture, but it reflects a broader and deeper transformation underway in India's higher education system—one that is driven by strategic reform, international engagement, and a strong policy foundation.”