Students Welcome UGC's Draft Norms on Foreign Universities

• 06-Jan-2023
• 975

The University Grants Commission of India on Thursday put forth a draft legislation for public feedback and review that would facilitate foreign universities to set up branches in India as per recommendations from the National Education Policy released in 2020. The draft legislation notes that only top 500 institutions globally in their respective discipline would be allowed to set up and operate out of India. The draft bill reads, “If the applicant is a foreign university, it should have secured a position within the top 500 of overall / subject-wise global rankings.”“(i) the quality of education imparted by it in its Indian campus is at par with that of the main campus in the country of origin, (ii) the qualifications awarded to the students in the Indian campus shall be recognised and treated as equivalent to the corresponding qualifications awarded by the Foreign Higher Educational Institutions in the main campus,” says the draft law. UGC’s draft bill grants the institution permission to decide the fee structure. It reads, “The foreign institute shall decide the fee structure, which should be transparent and reasonable.” This decision is being welcomed by students Business Today spoke to. Manu Pathak, a first year B.Comm student at university told Business Today, “If say LSE or HEC or INSEAD can open a campus in India which grants a degree which has same value as main campus, it is good for us. Because it will reduce all the logistical hurdles of traveling to and fro and the expenses of traveling and visa problems. Moreover, like the policy draft also says that the fee structure has to be reasonable, so of course relatively India is not so expensive so you get same degree for less money, it is a good move.”