Gujarat: Australian universities Deakin and University of Wollongong set to open campuses at GIFT City

Ahmedabad: Two Australian universities are all set to welcome students to their campuses at Gujarat International Finance Tec City, or GIFT City, in the state capital Gandhinagar from the next academic year. This marks the first time a foreign university is opening its campus in India.

Hailed as India's first greenfield smart city and an International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) developed along the lines of Singapore and Dubai, GIFT City will host campuses of two Australian universities: Deakin University and the University of Wollongong.

On Tuesday, Deakin University announced applications for the Master of Business Analytics and Master of Cyber Security (Professional) programmes, which will commence from July 2024. Students will be charged Rs 10.7 lakh or AUD 19,000 annually.

This announcement was made during an event called "Arambh" at GIFT City, presided over by Union Minister for Education and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Dharmendra Pradhan, along with his Australian counterpart, Jason Clare.

The Australian delegation, led by Clare, visited the under-construction site of Deakin University and another upcoming campus of the University of Wollongong. The Deakin campus is expected to be ready by January next year and will cover a 25,000 sq ft area.

In March, during his visit to Ahmedabad as part of a four-day trip to India, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese officially announced Deakin University's plan to establish its campus at GIFT City.

The Indian government has been actively encouraging foreign universities to open campuses in the country, aligning with the objectives of the National Education Policy for the "internationalization of education." The University Grants Commission, the regulatory body for higher education, has already released draft regulations, titled "University Grants Commission (Setting up and Operation of Campuses of Foreign Higher Educational Institutions in India) Regulations, 2023," allowing foreign universities to establish campuses in India.