India’s regulatory opening is attracting globally recognised institutions. Does this mean every top-ranked university will eventually come to India? Not necessarily. But it signals that India can increasingly become a destination for serious global institutions.
Redefining a campus
As AI makes sophisticated knowledge far more accessible, the classroom cannot simply remain a place for transmitting information. Its value increasingly lies in learning to frame questions, navigate ambiguity, collaborate, experiment, fail, recover and solve problems. That also changes the idea of a campus. It need not always be a sprawling one. It can exist vertically in urban business districts, alongside companies and start-ups, or within a technology ecosystem. Liverpool and UWA are examples of this. A branch campus does not have to mean giving up the experience of studying abroad. It can bring global curriculum, faculty and networks to India. An Indian student could spend most of their degree at home, undertake international projects and spend a semester or year at the home campus. A period of overseas immersion could therefore complete the global experience while keeping the overall pathway more accessible and affordable.
Access and connections matter
The underlying question is, what should global education add to an ecosystem that already educates millions? For anyone building an international campus, three questions matter beyond regulation and brand:
What are we trying to learn from the partner?
How useful will that learning be in the real world?
And which industries, entrepreneurs and communities will turn it into opportunity?
A global brand alone does not create a global graduate. Industry partnerships, practical exposure, research, entrepreneurship and visible career pathways do that. Employers ultimately judge capability, not merely credentials. Affordability matters just as much. If international education is to remain an instrument of social mobility then banking, scholarships and innovative financing will have a part to play.
The future is something more fluid: global faculty, international peers, industry projects, a semester abroad, research across borders and entrepreneurial opportunities rooted in real problems. If done thoughtfully, this could become something much bigger than foreign campuses in India. It could be the beginning of a more open, transdisciplinary and outward-looking model of education. And perhaps, in an age of AI, that is exactly what a university should be.
The author is Director – Education, KICL. She has over 16 years’ experience with the UK and Tamil Nadu governments designing programmes that connect learning with employability.