India’s Branch Campus Agenda

Ambitions and challenges

India has made serious eorts to facilitate internationali-
sation of higher education. Most recently this includes the
National Education Policy (NEP) which recommends “top
100” category institutions in the World University Rankings
to operate in the country. India’s current internationalisa-
tion strategy draws on the best practices from dierent
national settings. But the existing regulatory environment
makes it challenging for India to enter into the league of
countries that host International Branch Campuses (IBCs).
The question arises whether in the post-pandemic world
India can build an enabling environment for IBCs by learn-
ing from the policies of other countries. This article exam-
ines the nature of various hurdles which prevent the entry
of IBCs. It also relies on interviews with experts and prac-
titioners in India and abroad, including the heads of some
Indian branch campuses functioning abroad, and makes
suggestions for ensuring a friendly environment for set-
ting up branch campuses.

Keywords: branch campuses, India, internationalisation

https://doi.org/10.36197/INT.1-2022.02