University of Southampton opens India's first foreign varsity campus

The Gurugram campus marks the first operational foreign university in India under NEP 2020 reforms, offering UK-aligned UG and PG courses and enabling student mobility

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Wednesday inaugurated the Gurugram campus of the UK-based University of Southampton, making it the first foreign university to operationalise its campus in India.

 

The university received its official letter of intent from the Union education ministry in August last year, followed by a public announcement and formal launch on September 13, 2024.

 

The development follows the University Grants Commission’s 2023 notification of rules facilitating the entry of foreign higher education institutions into India as part of the National Education Policy 2020 reforms.

 

Under these regulations, foreign institutions seeking to establish campuses in India must