The University of Western Australia gets UGC approval for Chennai campus, classes to begin from October 19

The University of Western Australia (UWA) has received final regulatory approval from India’s University Grants Commission (UGC) to operate its new campus in Chennai, allowing classes to begin from October 19, 2026.

The approval comes less than a month after the Australian university opened its first Indian campus in Mumbai. Student orientation at the Chennai campus began on October 5.

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UWA has announced that it is the first international higher education provider to establish a campus in Tamil Nadu and the first Australian and Group of Eight university approved to operate in Chennai.

Vice-chancellor Amit Chakma said the approval allowed UWA to move from planning its Chennai operation to welcoming students. “This is a region where we aim to leverage the WA government’s presence as well as long-term academic partnerships,” he said.

“The campus brings UWA’s education to students in a region with exceptional strengths in technology and innovation, while connecting them to the University’s global academic and industry networks.”

For Indian students, UWA Chennai will initially offer undergraduate degrees in business management, computer science, data science and advanced computer science with artificial intelligence. Postgraduate programmes will include information technology and business administration.

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According to a recent coverage, the campus covers around 70,000 square feet at One National Park on Velachery Main Road in Chennai. UWA expects to enrol between 100 and 200 students across its Mumbai and Chennai campuses by the end of 2026. Over the longer term, the university plans to have at least 10,000 students across both campuses over the next decade. The university has committed around AUD 80 million to its wholly owned Indian campuses.

The two campuses are being developed with different industry links. UWA has stated that Chennai campus will focus more strongly on technology, manufacturing and engineering, while Mumbai will have a greater focus on business.

UWA’s India strategy also includes opportunities for students to spend part of their studies in Perth. Chakma had previously detailed that the students could undertake exchanges of six or 12 months between India and Australia.

The Chennai campus adds to the growing number of foreign universities establishing operations in India under the UGC’s international branch campus framework introduced in 2023. Through this Indian expansion UWA is expecting to create around 100 direct jobs and a further 700 jobs across the wider ecosystem.