Global campuses take root in India

A clutch of foreign universities setting up campuses in India could create a new template for tertiary education. India is encouraging the internationalisation of higher education, and relocating campuses, rather than students, offers multiple benefits. It helps bring down the cost of international college degrees while increasing faculty remuneration. Uncertainty over visas can be bypassed through domestic campuses. The quality of academic research conducted in universities with international standing tends to have higher acceptance levels. Domestic education delivery standards can be expected to improve, with courses better aligned to emerging industry demand. A new education policy is seeking to boost skills supply in areas like AI and alternative energy, and international universities setting up shop in the country can play a catalysing role.

Staffing requirements of foreign universities should contribute to raising faculty pay across the board. To fulfil GoI's quality requirements, these universities will have to tap the talent pool that serves public and private universities. The HR constraint is the binding one for scaling up higher education in India, as both private and public institutions are expanding. Foreign universities have to meet additional conditions to deliver the standard of education available at their home campuses. This should lead to higher mobility of expatriate faculty, with a positive spin-off on research outcomes.

India's status as a leading supplier of students to universities overseas is not likely to be affected for a few decades. This has mitigated the overcapacity in university education in some countries but has depressed domestic capacity-building. Correcting the imbalance should have knock-on benefits for India's plans to become a global manufacturing base. Talent pools must emerge to drive specific sectors considered strategically important, such as technology and advanced manufacturing. The quality and quantity of internationally cited research in select industries serve as a marker of a country's education standards. Foreign universities should contribute meaningfully to both.