Amid several developments in the education sector in light of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, one significant announcement made by University Grants Commission (UGC) is the guideline to set up campuses of foreign universities in India. FE Education takes you to a detailed understanding of what the guidelines suggest in this regard.
Criteria of foreign varsities to set up campus in India
-As per the UGC norms, universities which ranked among the top 500, either in over-all ranking or subject wise global ranking category (such as QS Ranking) are eligible to enter India.
-Universities which cannot satisfy the global rankings criteria, need to be “reputed” in their own country to apply for Indian campuses. However, as per the draft guidelines, the metric for “reputation” is not defined.
Fund Management and Fee structure
-For any functionality, universities can repatriate funds from their domestic jurisdiction.
-Any cross-border movement of funds, maintenance of Foreign Currency Accounts, or, payment, repatriation, and sale of proceeds will be done as per the regulations of Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) 1999.
-Foreign universities have the autonomy to decide the fee structure and admission criteria for students in their Indian campuses.
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Teaching mode and Course Curriculum
-It is noted by the UGC that these universities can conduct only offline courses. However, such institutions cannot offer courses which jeopardise the national interest of India.
-Faculty members can be appointed from India or abroad.
Application process to set up campus
-As per the regulations, a standing committee appointed by the UGC will consider the application process. The committee will submit the recommendation within 45 days after scrutinising the credibility of the institution, and programme structure.
-The initial approval given by the UGC will be of 10 years.
