Studying at an international branch campus in India costs double a domestic tier-1 private university, but cuts traditional study-abroad tuition by nearly two-thirds.

The report, Landscape of International University Campuses, was featured in the Financial Express article.

When asked about the motivation to undertake this research, Dr. Rahul Choudaha said

For students and families, comparing and choosing among these international university campuses is a challenging task. Standardised metrics are absent, and early-stage data regarding critical student concerns – such as campus life, faculty profiles, transparent scholarship criteria, and placement outcomes – remain unproven or inconsistent.

To resolve this, DrEducation Research has created a framework called UniGrid, which plots universities on two major axes: academic ranking and total tuition fees. It also groups institutions into four distinct, scannable segments: Maximiser (better ranked, lower fee), Premier (better ranked, higher fee), Economiser (lower ranked, lower fee), and Explorer (lower ranked, higher fee). Coupled with an interactive online dashboard and a student-facing quiz, the framework aims to empower students/parents and counsellors with objective clarity, while giving policymakers, journalists, and employers a structured view of this fast-evolving sector.

As more and more foreign universities establish IBCs in India, their success will depend on how they deliver on student life, faculty quality, as well as placements. For now, the DrEducation Research report provides the first real reality check for a market built on aspirations. Armed with concrete cost equations and the UniGrid framework, Indian students and families seem to have a tool that helps them choose the right IBC in India, and they can calculate whether a global degree on Indian soil is a financial compromise or an investment worth the premium.