UWA Chennai starts classes today: 70,000 sq ft campus of an Australian university opens in India

By TUF News Desk · Published 19 October 2026 · 3 min read

Fact-checked against 2+ independent sources · Editorial policy

Classrooms open today, October 19, at the University of Western Australia’s new Chennai campus. The university has received the final approval from the University Grants Commission to run its international branch campus in the city, and orientation for the first intake began on October 5. Both The Indian Express and Times Now put the class-start date at October 19, 2026.

The campus, in brief

The 70,000-square-foot campus sits on the seventh floor of One National Park on Velachery Main Road in Chennai. This is UWA’s second campus in India. The first, in Mumbai, opened in September 2026. The university says it plans to invest about AUD 80 million in its wholly owned campuses in the country.

Programmes on offer

For the first intake, UWA Chennai will run undergraduate programmes in business management, computer science, data science and advanced computer science with artificial intelligence. The postgraduate side has two programmes so far: a Master of Information Technology and a Master of Business Administration.

Foreign universities are multiplying in India

UWA is part of a larger arrival. UNSW opened its Bengaluru campus in August 2026 and welcomed its first students that month. Birkbeck, University of London began operations at its Whitefield campus in Bengaluru for the 2026-27 academic year. The University of Bristol opened its Mumbai Enterprise Campus on September 10, and the University of York welcomed its first students to its Mumbai campus in September.

The legal ground for all of this is the UGC’s regulatory framework for foreign higher educational institutions. In a response to Parliament in August 2026, the Education Ministry said the UGC had issued 16 Letters of Intent to foreign higher education institutions from Australia, Italy, the UK and the US. Andhra Pradesh has also moved to attract foreign university campuses with a state-level policy of its own.

What students should weigh

A foreign branch campus is still a new format in India, and the questions worth asking are the ordinary ones: how the degree is awarded and recognised, what the full fee looks like over the whole course, and who actually teaches. Our guide on choosing a university walks through the checklist that applies to any programme, including one at a brand-new campus.

Frequently asked questions

When do classes begin at UWA’s Chennai campus?

Daily classes are scheduled to start on October 19, 2026. An orientation programme for the first intake began on October 5.

Where is the UWA Chennai campus?

The campus covers 70,000 square feet on the seventh floor of One National Park on Velachery Main Road in Chennai.

What programmes does UWA Chennai offer?

Undergraduate programmes in business management, computer science, data science and advanced computer science with artificial intelligence, along with a Master of Information Technology and an MBA.

Which other foreign universities opened campuses in India in 2026?

UNSW and Birkbeck in Bengaluru, and Bristol and York in Mumbai, all opened campuses or welcomed their first student batches during 2026. The UGC has issued 16 Letters of Intent to foreign institutions from Australia, Italy, the UK and the US.

Frequently asked questions

Sources: The Indian Express, Times Now, CollegeDunia