Team Siliconindia

• Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan inaugurates University of Southampton's Gurugram campus first foreign university in India under UGC’s new guidelines.
• Campus to offer UK-standard UG & PG programs from 2025 in STEM and business fields, with global faculty and study-abroad options.
• Pradhan hails it as a 'living bridge' in India-UK ties under NEP 2020; UGC calls it a model for future international collaborations.

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, opened the University of Southampton's India campus in Gurugram. According to a report by DD News, this is the first overseas university to establish campus in India as per new guidelines of UGC.

Pradhan welcomed this achievement as a 'momentous milestone' towards globalisation of education by the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. He added that this considerable advancement further strengthens the education pillar of the India-UK strategic partnership, as envisioned under the India-UK Roadmap 2030.

"Southampton University's Gurugram campus will bring new synergies, create a new culture of curiosity and roam, and provide a new choice to students to access world-class education at a lower cost and nearer home and family", said Pradhan.

The minister also urged the university to launch STEM courses and provide a fillip to India's vision of becoming a global innovation hub.

The function was attended by Nayab Singh Saini Haryana CM, Lord Patel OBE University Chancellor, and UK House of Lord member, Lindy Cameroon British High Commissioner of India, and Dr Vineet Joshi UGC Chairman.

Pradhan greeted the university on the setting up of a world-class campus within a year of receiving the Letter of Intent. Emphasizing the deepening education linkages between India and the UK, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan used the phrase Prime Minister Narendra Modi had described the relationship as a 'living bridge' between the two countries.

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UGC Chairman Dr Vineet Joshi described the new Gurugram campus as a milestone and a template for future overseas collaborations under the NEP 2020. The project, he added, consolidates India's rising status in the world as an education hub.

The new campus will deliver undergraduate and postgraduate programmes as per UK academic standards with the areas of study being Computer Science, Business Management, Economics, and Accounting & Finance. The students will even have the option to study a part of their studies in the UK or Malaysia.

Academic semesters will start from 2025, with the inaugural batch consisting of students from India, the UAE, and Nepal. Undergraduate degrees will include BSc in Computer Science, Economics, Accounting & Finance, and Business Management, while postgraduate MSc degrees in Finance and International Management will be included.

The university revealed that more than 75 top senior academics from top global universities will be stationed at the Gurugram campus, and there will be high academic standards. Its global alumni community of over 290,000+ graduates, of which 1,700+ are from India, will be able to make a significant impact by mentoring students and creating industry connections.