13 foreign campuses, 120 students each: India's global degree bet starts smaller than planned

By TUF News Desk · Published 3 November 2026 · 5 min read

Fact-checked against 2+ independent sources · Editorial policy

Thirteen foreign universities are recruiting students for 91 programmes at their India campuses for the 2026-27 academic year. The pace of entry is fast: India’s first international branch campus admitted its first students only in July 2024, and the count is expected to reach about 20 universities by 2027-28. The enrolments, though, have not kept up with the announcements.

A new analysis by DrEducation Research, published in The Times of India on November 3, looked at the seven of the 13 campuses that have publicly available data on their first cohorts. The typical campus started with a median of 120 students in its first cohort, or about 20 students per programme. The range ran from 9 students to 300.

The biggest names missed their own targets. The University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Bengaluru, the highest-ranked university in the group at top 20 in the QS rankings, had aimed for 120 students across its four inaugural programmes and enrolled 60, according to the Australian Financial Review. The University of Bristol, the highest-ranked UK university in the group at 57th in QS, had set a goal of 250 students for its Mumbai campus and enrolled fewer than half that number.

Not every campus started small. The University of Liverpool’s Bengaluru campus drew an estimated 300 students and the University of York’s Mumbai campus enrolled 160, according to The Financial Express. At the other end, the University of Wollongong started with 9 students in a single programme.

Why the rankings did not fill the seats

The policy behind these campuses came from the National Education Policy 2020, which first aimed to attract the world’s top 100 universities to India. Regulators later relaxed the bar: rules for GIFT City in October 2022 and the University Grants Commission in November 2023 allow universities ranked in the global top 500 to open campuses here. Those rules give the campuses freedom to set their own fees and award the same degree as their home campus.

For students, the choice on paper looks wide. The 13 institutions include seven from the United Kingdom, five from Australia and one from the United States, spread across Mumbai, Bengaluru, GIFT City, Gurugram and Chennai. Only three Indian institutions appear in the top 500 of the Times Higher Education Rankings 2027, and 11 in the QS Rankings 2027.

Two things held enrolments back. Some campuses received regulatory approvals late and had short recruitment windows. The deeper problem is evidence: with no placement record yet, parents cannot tell whether graduates will earn more than graduates of private universities. That uncertainty has put many families in wait-and-watch mode, the analysis says.

The price question

The study, titled Landscape of International University Campuses in India 2026, compared average first-year undergraduate fees at the 11 foreign universities offering undergraduate programmes with fees at a set of tier-I private universities in India and at the same universities’ home campuses abroad.

Studying at an international campus in India costs roughly a third, about 36 percent, of studying at the home campus abroad. Against Indian private universities, the picture flips: the international campus costs more than double, about 115 percent more, on average. A campus priced as a cheaper version of going abroad still looks expensive next to a well-regarded Indian private university, and it has to show what the extra money buys.

Early placement numbers exist only in fragments. Deakin University’s GIFT City campus, the first to open in July 2024, saw its first cohort of 43 master’s students graduate in March 2026, with about three-quarters securing positions. Its July 2026 intake rose to 48 students, with a target of 100 for July 2027. Across all 13 campuses, estimated intake capacity for 2026 was around 3,000 students, while projected intake was only about half of that.

What to check before you apply

A foreign degree earned in India is still a new product, and the first batches are the test case. Before paying a fee, confirm the campus is on the UGC website list of approved foreign higher educational institutions, and ask the campus directly for its placement and fee figures in writing. Our guide to choosing a university in India covers how to weigh fees, accreditation and outcomes for any university, Indian or foreign.

For now, the campuses have the rankings and the degrees. What they still need is proof from their first batches.

Frequently asked questions

How many foreign universities have campuses in India now?

Thirteen foreign universities were actively recruiting students for 91 programmes at their India campuses for 2026-27, and the number is expected to rise to about 20 by 2027-28.

How big are the first batches at foreign university campuses in India?

Across the seven campuses with publicly available data, the median first cohort is 120 students, or about 20 students per programme, ranging from 9 to 300.

How do fees at foreign campuses in India compare with studying abroad or at a private university?

An international campus costs roughly a third of studying at the same university abroad, but more than double the average first-year fee at a tier-I private university in India.

How can students check whether a foreign campus in India is approved?

Check the University Grants Commission’s official website for the list of approved foreign higher educational institutions before applying or paying any fee.

Frequently asked questions

Sources: The Times of India (Education Times), The Financial Express, The Hindu