UGC allows UK's University of Southampton to open India campus in Delhi-NCR

The university has been active in India for more than 50 years and has developed partnerships.

The University of Southampton has become the first UK university to be granted a licence by the Indian government to establish a campus in the country.

The granting of a licence from the University Grants Commission (UGC) marks a significant step forward, allowing the University of Southampton to progress with its plans to offer world-leading education, research, knowledge exchange, and enterprise in India, the institute said in a statement.

The University of Southampton campus in Delhi-NCR will deliver education, research and knowledge exchange and enterprise activity in the country, it added.

The university has been active in India for more than 50 years and has developed partnerships. The upcoming campus will enable the institute to build on these links by amplifying research collaboration and impact, extending teaching partnerships, creating two-way student and staff mobility, and ensuring local civic and community engagement, the statement further said.

“In the 21st century, no university can be truly global without engaging with India. Our intention is to establish a campus that delivers social value and economic impact to India and the university by bringing together Southampton’s world class activities in education, research, and knowledge exchange and enterprise, with all the talent of the rising global superpower that is India,” said Mark E Smith, President, and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Southampton.

The University of Southampton is among the top 100 institutions globally, as per QS World University Rankings 2025.

Earlier in January 2024, Australia’s Deakin University inaugurated its first international branch in GIFT City, Gandhinagar, during the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit 2024. The institute said it will soon offer short-term courses for students, employees, and government staff on topics ranging from defence, and cybersecurity – mostly limited to emerging technology areas.