The regulations allowing foreign universities to set up campuses in India are being given “final touches” at present and will be released before July 15, a top government official said. The draft regulations, which is being framed by the University Grants Commission (UGC), is in the final stage of consultations with the various key ministries and agencies involved including the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
The higher education regulator had in January this year released draft regulations allowing foreign universities to open campuses in India. The draft rules sought to provide autonomy to these universities in deciding the admission process and tuition fees. Changes have been made to the draft rules based on inputs received from stakeholders to make it more “fine-tuned”, the official said.
“At the moment we are in the final stage of consultations within the government including seeking clarification on the suggestions made and reviewing the rules before it finally becomes a law. We are already done taking inputs from foreign embassies and universities,” said UGC Chairman Prof Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar.
Some of the key ministries with whom consultations are on include the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the Ministry of Finance, and the RBI.
Several top universities from the United States (US), United Kingdom (UK), North America, Europe, and Australia have expressed their interest in the scheme. Further, there have been discussions with Western Sydney University, Australia, who too have expressed interest in the scheme, said Kumar.
“From the US, delegations from Northeastern University, Boston, Western Governors University, Utah, Illinois Institute of Technology, and University of Texas, San Antonio, and the University of Pennsylvania met us at UGC and expressed keen interest in academic collaborations with universities in India while some of them may be interested in setting up their campuses here,” he added.
The India-US Joint statement during the recent official visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the US also states the setting up of liaison offices in the foreign embassies to facilitate ease of doing business between the two countries.
The draft regulations titled “UGC (Setting up and Operation of Campuses of Foreign Higher Educational Institutions In India) Regulations, 2023” were framed in line with the NEP, which envisaged internationalisation of higher education while advocating a legislative framework for facilitating the entry of foreign universities into India. Such universities will be given special dispensation regarding regulatory, governance, and content norms on par with other autonomous institutions
The regulations were put out to seek public feedback and comments from stakeholders on January 5, the duration for which was extended twice to February 3 and then to February 20.
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