Deakin is ranked 266th in the QS World University Rankings and features among the top 50 young universities in the world. That apart, the university is placed in the 250-300 band in the Times Higher Education World Rankings
Australia’s Deakin University is set to become the first foreign university to enter India via an independent campus in Gujarat’s GIFT City, according to The Indian Express. An announcement is likely on March 8 during Australian Prime Minister Anthony Norman Albanese visit to Ahmedabad.
Deakin is ranked 266th in the QS World University Rankings and features among the top 50 young universities in the world. That apart, the university is placed in the 250-300 band in the Times Higher Education World Rankings.
The Indian Express had reported earlier that at least two Australian universities had talked to the Indian government to set up independent offshore campus in India. According to sources, the Deakin has already applied to the International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) — GIFT City regulator — to set up campus and is expected to start operations from next year. It plans to first admit students to postgraduate programmes.
Deakin has four campuses in Australia — Melbourne (Burwood), Geelong (Waurn Ponds and Waterfront) and Warrnambool. It hosts students from 132 countries with Indians making up 27% of the student community followed by China (22%). With nearly 60,000 total students, the highest number is at its Melbourne Burwood campus where over 26000 students are enrolled.
Deakin’s decision to set up its first offshore campus in India comes a year after Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had first announced in her Budget speech in February 2022 that world-class foreign universities and institutions would be allowed in GIFT City to offer courses in financial management, FinTech, science, technology, engineering and mathematics “free from domestic regulations…”
IFSCA formally started inviting applications from foreign universities recently. A government official was quoted saying that apart from Deakin there were more foreign universities that were in talks with the GIFT City regulator. Among them was another Australian University — University of Wollongong (UOW), which is ranked 85th in the world and 10th in Australia as per the QS World University Rankings.
According to the IFSCA regulations for GIFT City, the courses or programmes to be offered by the foreign universities’ campuses in GIFT City “shall be identical in all respects with the course or programme” offered by them back home. The degree, diploma or certificates will also have to be identical, the regulations say
The UOW spokesperson said they could have a couple of floors in place in GIFT City to start off classes by May 2023. The Vice Chancellor of UOW, Patricia Davidson will be India this week along with the Australian Education Minister Jason Clare to meet with the Indian Education Minister, Dharmendra Pradhan to discuss its plans to set up a campus in GIFT City.
The UOW will be offering Undergraduate courses in the areas of Finance, STEM programmes and Business.( Sources said that this might change based on the VC’s meeting next week). Plans to offer scholarships to support Indian students who would like to enrol into the University.
The fee structure is yet to be finalised post the meetings with the Indian government and is most likely to be finalised by next month. The Admission criteria would be the same as it is for any private Institution post the clearance of 12th grade. UOW Spokesperson told The Indian Express that they have seen a huge number of Indians enrolling to courses in their Australian campus which has encouraged the UOW to take up this opportunity to set up a campus locally.
In 2023, Indian students make up QOW’s largest international cohort, representing nearly a quarter of their total international enrollment. In total, more than 2,500 Indian students are enrolled at UOW, with business, engineering and information sciences being the most popular degrees. UOW has more than 8300 Indian alumni.
The UOW already has full- fledged campuses in Dubai, Malaysia, Hongkong and the UAE. UOW offers courses like Accountancy and Finance, Aviation, Engineering, Cultural and Legal in all the three above mentioned campuses.
According to the IFSCA regulations for GIFT City, the courses or programmes to be offered by the foreign universities’ campuses in GIFT City “shall be identical in all respects with the course or programme” offered by them back home. The degree, diploma or certificates will also have to be identical, the regulations say. These shall also “enjoy the same recognition and status as if they were conducted by the parent entity in its home jurisdiction”.The regulations also allow foreign institutes to repatriate profits from campuses they set up in GIFT City
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