Foreign universities to be allowed to set up campuses in India: Report

The new rules will most likely address the sticky points and give foreign universities an upper hand in deciding fees, course structure, hiring of faculty and academic matters

The University Grants Commission (UGC) this month is likely to introduce a draft of regulations for public consultations which will bring in significant changes in higher education including allowing foreign universities to set up campuses in India, enabling Indian varsities to open facilities abroad and tightening the rulebook to ensure better quality controls at private institutions, a report in the Economic Times (ET) said.

The feedback will be processed by March. 

The new rules will most likely address the sticky points and give foreign universities an upper hand in deciding the fees, course structure, hiring of faculty and academic matters. It will provide a "middle ground" on the repatriation of funds, ET added. 

Once the regulations are ready, they will be shared with foreign universities through India's missions. 

Another set of rules will allow Indian universities to set up their campuses in foreign countries. Currently, they are not allowed to do so. The top IITs may become the first Indian institutes to do so. 

"The underlying theme and philosophy behind all these regulations are as reflected in the NEP. They are all aimed at allowing considerable autonomy to the higher education stakeholders but with due accountability and quality ensured. Therefore, they will be 'light but tight' regulations and I am confident it will bring positive and big changes in the higher education system," the UGC chairman M Jagadesh Kumar told ET.

According to the new rules, only an institute that attains a certain category of National Institute Ranking Framework or National Assessment & Accreditation Council rating might be allowed to admit foreign students.