More foreign universities – one from the US – head to India

While India’s status as a high-quality international education destination is growing, with recent applications from institutions in the United Kingdom, Australia and – for the first time – the United States seeking to set up branch campuses, there are concerns about the impact of local faculty shortages.

Some academics have warned that the rapid establishment of a number of foreign branch campuses in Ahmedabad’s GIFT City in Gujarat state and other parts of the country could be affected by an existing faculty shortage and difficulties in attracting international faculty to the country.

Illinois Institute of Technology (Illinois Tech), Chicago’s only tech-focused university, is set to become the first United States university to get the go-ahead from Indian regulatory body, the University Grants Commission (UGC), to establish an independent degree-granting campus in India. In a 6 May statement, the institution describes the plan as a “bold and historic move”.

The new Illinois Tech Mumbai campus will offer a range of undergraduate and graduate programmes in high-demand fields such as computer science, engineering, and business. It will open in 2026.

“Having begun my educational journey in Chennai and later earning a PhD in the United States, I’ve witnessed firsthand the unparalleled opportunities offered by both education systems,” said Raj Echambadi, Illinois Tech’s president.

“Partnering across these systems will leverage the best of both and uniquely prepare students to thrive in a global economy. We can’t wait to extend this transformative opportunity for many more students through our new campus in Mumbai.”

Mallik Sundharam, Illinois Tech’s vice-president for enrolment management and student affairs, said: “In the last five years, we’ve seen more than a 73% increase in graduate students from India choosing Illinois Tech.

“Our new campus responds to this extraordinary demand by delivering globally recognised Illinois Tech degrees in India in a highly accessible, affordable, and locally contextualised format.”

He pointed to the growth of US companies in India as an important reason to set up in Mumbai. “Illinois Tech has always been closely aligned with employers and career outcomes that directly serve industry demands,” Sundharam said.

Illinois Tech has indicated its courses in India will be delivered by internationally recruited faculty, including visiting professors from Illinois Tech’s US campuses and faculty with global academic credentials.

Mumbai and Tamil Nadu campus plans

The UK’s York University and the University of Western Australia (UWA) this month also announced plans to establish overseas campuses in India.

UWA intends to set up branch campuses in Maharashtra with a smaller campus in Tamil Nadu – the first in India from a member of Australia's elite Group of Eight (Go8). Both campuses are subject to approval from the UGC and UWA Senate.

The Indian campuses will offer a range of undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, particularly in STEM, business, and creative disciplines, with a focus on UWA’s Conservatorium of Music.

Once established, UWA will also be the first international university to have a campus in Tamil Nadu, following discussions between UWA Chancellor Diane Smith-Gander and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin in Chennai on 5 May.

This initiative complements Tamil Nadu’s Knowledge City project, which seeks to position the state as a centre for global education and advanced research.

Smith-Gander has pointed to India’s youthful demographic, which provides a good pool of potential students.

Maharashtra state on India’s western coast, with Mumbai as its capital, has been identified as a potential location for a UWA branch campus, though no date has been set for its opening. Both Chennai and Maharashtra are known for their strong economies and potential for international academic collaborations.

The Maharashtra campus plan was announced at the World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES) in Mumbai.

With the Indian higher education market projected to grow significantly over the next decade, UWA’s entry is expected to meet the rising demand for high-quality international education, according to the university.

Students at the Indian campus will have the opportunity to transfer to UWA’s Crawley campus in Perth, fostering international academic mobility and boosting career prospects.

University of York signs deal

The University of York on 2 May announced it would set up a new campus in Mumbai after the university signed a memorandum of understanding with Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, aiming to enrol students from the 2026 to 2027 academic year.

York’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Charlie Jeffery, described it as "a really exciting venture" that aimed to support the education of India's future leaders and entrepreneurs.

The next step involves obtaining a licence from India’s UGC, the university said. Initially, it will offer undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in fields such as computer science, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, business, economics, and creative industries.

Jeffery, who met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss the plans, emphasised the university's commitment to strengthening ties with India and contributing to the nation's education sector.

“A distinctive feature will be a strong emphasis on research from the outset. This commitment to research will underpin teaching and the student experience but also contribute significantly to India’s growing demand and drive for research development and innovation in areas such as food security, environmental change and future technologies,” the university said in its 2 May statement.

Classes are expected to commence in an existing building located in a prime business district in Mumbai, with plans to develop a comprehensive state-of-the-art facility in the coming years.

The campus in Mumbai will have its own dedicated staff who will teach University of York curricula, with students in India graduating with a York degree.

Faculty shortages concerns

However, some academics are concerned that foreign universities may face faculty shortages in India due to so many new institutions coming on stream at the same time and amid an existing severe shortage of qualified faculty members, with many positions being vacant, even in prestigious institutions in India.

A recent report from a parliamentary committee highlighted that top universities in India are facing a critical shortage of faculty, with 56.18% of professor positions currently unfilled.

The report, titled 2025-26 Demands for Grants of the Department of Higher Education, was presented to India’s parliament in March by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth, and Sports.

In a recent commentary for Hindi-language broadcast channel ABP, Vineet Gupta, founder of the private Ashoka University in Sonipat, Haryana state, said the entry of foreign branch campuses risked increasing competition for scarce faculty talent.

“Attracted by higher salaries and better facilities, good Indian faculty may migrate to these institutions, draining talent from our already faculty-constrained institutions. This migration could weaken the academic backbone of Indian universities, particularly those already struggling to compete.

“I hope foreign universities in India help in expanding the overall faculty talent pool [rather] than starting a competition to retain talent,” Gupta said.

But he noted that it was a double-edged sword, as foreign universities also bring in visiting faculty from their home campuses.

“By bringing in good faculty and cutting-edge pedagogy, foreign universities can help to enhance quality benchmarks, inspiring Indian institutions to raise their standards.

“This in turn will inspire systemic upliftment; increased competition is another advantage as domestic universities will face pressure to enhance their curricula, teaching practices, and research output to retain students. It could drive a broader elevation in higher education quality across India,” he said.

Kalpesh Banker, managing partner at New Delhi-based EduShine, a management consulting firm focused on higher education recruitment, said the country’s faculty shortage was a pressing issue, driven by the country's own educational landscape.

However, Banker noted the faculty shortage may not be an issue for some foreign campuses in India which intend to focus on teaching rather than research.

“Rather than foreign universities, it’s the growing demand and intensifying competition within Indian institutions that's leading to a severe shortage of qualified faculty members,” he told University World News.

“Indian institutions are facing faculty shortages because they’re primarily looking for research faculty, with research experience being a major hiring criterion. In contrast, foreign universities setting up campuses in India are focused on teaching, at least for the next few years.

“They’re not prioritising research, which means they’ll be looking for faculty with different skill sets. Essentially, Indian institutions and foreign universities in India will cater to different segments – research-orientated and teaching-orientated, respectively,” according to Banker.