Under India’s National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, IFSCA issued regulations for GIFT City in October 2022 and the UGC for the rest of India in November 2023. Foreign universities ranked in the global top 500 can now set up campuses in India, set their own curricula and fees, award their own degrees and enrol international students.
Letter of Intent LoI
A preliminary, in-principle approval. The campus should be set up within two years. The university may market programmes and make conditional offers, but cannot collect fees.
Letter of Approval LoA
Final approval to start operations and admit students with final offers. The gap between LoI and LoA can exceed a year: University of Liverpool Bengaluru received its LoI in May 2025 and its LoA in June 2026.
As of 15 October 2026, 13 universities hold an LoA for AY 2026–27, all covered in the Landscape of International University Campuses in India 2026 report. Eight more hold an LoI for AY 2027–28, and others are in discussion or reported in the media without a formal LoI. The list is based on public announcements and news reports.
As of 15 October 2026 · 5 in GIFT City (IFSCA), 18 elsewhere in India (UGC), 2 with city not announced
Showing 25 of 25 universities
| Deakin UniversityCampus profile → | AU | GIFT City | IFSCA | 218 | 227 | Operational2024–25 |
| University of WollongongCampus profile → | AU | GIFT City | IFSCA | 247 | 195 | Operational2024–25 |
| University of SouthamptonCampus profile → | UK | Delhi NCR | UGC | 136 | 111 | Operational2025–26 |
| Birkbeck University of LondonCampus profile → | UK | Bengaluru | UGC | 326–350 | 354 | Operational2026–27 |
| Illinois TechCampus profile → | US | Mumbai | UGC | 301–325 | 620 | Operational2026–27 |
| Queen’s University BelfastCampus profile → | UK | GIFT City | IFSCA | 196 | 174 | Operational2026–27 |
| University of AberdeenCampus profile → | UK | Mumbai | UGC | 233 | 288 | Operational2026–27 |
| University of BristolCampus profile → | UK | Mumbai | UGC | 82 | 57 | Operational2026–27 |
| University of LiverpoolCampus profile → | UK | Bengaluru | UGC | 154 | 139 | Operational2026–27 |
| University of YorkCampus profile → | UK | Mumbai | UGC | 168 | 158 | Operational2026–27 |
| UNSWCampus profile → | AU | Bengaluru | UGC | 75 | 19 | Operational2026–27 |
| UWACampus profile → | AU | Chennai, Mumbai | UGC | 173 | 77 | Operational2026–27 |
| Victoria UniversityCampus profile → | AU | Delhi NCR | UGC | 551–600 | 696 | Operational2026–27 |
| University of Surrey | UK | GIFT City | IFSCA | 237 | 246 | Letter of Intent2027–28 |
| Coventry University | UK | GIFT City | IFSCA | 601–650 | 581 | Letter of Intent2027–28 |
| Lancaster University | UK | Bengaluru | UGC | 183 | 164 | Letter of Intent2027–28 |
| Western Sydney University | AU | Delhi NCR | UGC | 301–325 | 370 | Letter of Intent2027–28 |
| Flinders University | AU | Bengaluru | UGC | 301–325 | 374 | Letter of Intent2027–28 |
| La Trobe University | AU | Bengaluru | UGC | 291 | 241 | Letter of Intent2027–28 |
| Istituto Europeo di Design | IT | Mumbai | UGC | Not ranked | Not ranked | Letter of Intent2027–28 |
| University of Colorado Denver | US | Hyderabad | UGC | 376–400 | 851–900 | Letter of Intent2027–28 |
| University of London | UK | Hyderabad | UGC | Not ranked | Not ranked | Media report2027–28 |
| Newcastle University | UK | Not announced | — | 154 | 149 | Media report2027–28 |
| Northeastern University | US | Hyderabad | UGC | 254 | 385 | Media report2027–28 |
| Waikato University | NZ | Not announced | — | 551–600 | 293 | Media report2027–28 |
No universities match these filters.
THE and QS World University Rankings 2027. Banded ranks (e.g. 301–325) sort by the start of the band; unranked institutions sort last.
Regulator: IFSCA for GIFT City, UGC elsewhere in India. Media reports are listed without a formal Letter of Intent.
Corrections: research@DrEducation.com