University of Southampton Opens Its First Foreign Campus in Gurugram

The University of Southampton, a top-100 UK university and founding member of the Russell Group, opened its first overseas branch in India today.  The new campus, located within International Tech Park in Sector 59, Gurugram, is the first fully functioning foreign university campus established under the University Grants Commission’s (UGC) new regulations for 2023.  Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, accompanied by Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, presided over the ribbon-cutting ceremony.  Minister Pradhan called the event a “momentous milestone” in achieving the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020’s internationalization goals and expanding India-UK partnership under the India-UK Roadmap 2030.  He encouraged the institution to implement STEM programs and for the campus to serve as a “hub of solutions for global challenges”.

The Gurugram campus will provide undergraduate (BSc) courses in Computer Science, Economics, Accounting & Finance, and Business Management, as well as postgraduate (MSc) programmes in Finance and International Management.  These courses have the same curriculum, academic standards, and degree structure as the UK campus, and students can study for up to a year at Southampton’s campuses in the UK or Malaysia.  Official statements show that the institution acquired a Letter of Intent from the UGC in August 2024 and formally unveiled the program in September of same year.  Classes for the inaugural cohort of roughly 170 students from India, the UAE, and Nepal are scheduled to begin in August 2025.

In addition to academic programs, the university intends to hire around 75 full-time faculty members with UK qualifications.  These educators will complete the institution’s Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice and bring a wide range of worldwide expertise from nations such the United Kingdom, the United States, Japan, Singapore, Australia, Germany, and Malaysia.  Nayab Singh Saini emphasized that this action is consistent with Haryana’s ambition of becoming a global education and innovation hub.  He lauded the state’s infrastructure and positioned the university as a major component of “Viksit Bharat by 2047”.  Meanwhile, Vineet Joshi, Higher Education Secretary and UGC Chair, stated that the effort marks the first execution of the UGC’s new approach that allows elite overseas universities to establish campuses in India.

Lindy Cameron, the UK High Commissioner to India, claimed that the campus “proves modern India and modern Britain are advancing their partnership in education,” making global-quality education more accessible to locals.  This unprecedented launch paves the way for other foreign universities, as India has already permitted 17 such institutions to build campuses under UGC guidelines, bringing NEP 2020’s vision of an internationalised education industry closer to reality.

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