Team Siliconindia

• University of York is set to open its first international campus in Mumbai by September 2026, offering UK-accredited programs in business, computer science, and creative technologies.
• Backed by India’s NEP and UGC's clear framework, the campus aims to combine academic excellence with deep industry ties through partnerships with Tata, Sun Pharma, and Mumbai’s creative sector.
• The Mumbai campus will deliver the same quality as York’s UK campus, with an emphasis on local recruitment, research output, and sustainable, accessible global education.

The University Grants Commission (UGC) recently sent letters of intent to five international universities, such as the University of York, University of Western Australia, and University of Aberdeen, allowing them to establish autonomous campuses in India.

In the context of the event, University of York Vice-Chancellor Prof Charlie Jeffery also addressed indianexpress.com on the thinking behind the institution's India strategy, and why Mumbai suits York's academic strengths, and how its creative industries research and tech-driven pedagogy will inform the new campus.

India is likely the most interesting place in the world today for international higher education," was how Professor Charlie Jeffery, the University of York's Vice-Chancellor, explained the university's plan to establish its first international campus in Mumbai.

With 20 percent of the world’s population under 25 living in India (50 percent population is below 25 according to a UNFPA report), and a national education policy that actively invites international universities, he said the country presented a unique blend of opportunity and alignment. “There’s an extraordinary demographic here,” he said, adding that Mumbai’s dynamism, particularly in the biotechnology and creative industries, made it a natural fit for York’s own academic strengths.

Slated to open in September 2026, the University of York's campus at Mumbai will be launched with 200–300 students, but will expand to 10,000 within a decade. The initial academic programs will be business, computer science, and creative technologies, with a research-focused methodology aimed at combining academic understanding with practical industry applications, as per Prof Jeffery.

The campus, which will be self-governing as University of York in Mumbai, will teach the same UK-accredited courses and will have a combination of staff from York, India, and overseas. In the long term, the model will increasingly move towards local recruitment.

"We're beginning small to ensure that we get everything set up really well, but then we're going to expand very quickly", said Prof Jeffery.

Prof Jeffery attributed India's National Education Policy (NEP) for establishing a transparent regulatory framework that foreign institutions can collaborate with. "In other nations, rules can be unclear or even hostile. But here in India, the UGC has established a clear and predictable route. That makes India more friendly than many countries", he said.

Stepping in mid-conversation, Gavin Kearney, Co-Director of CoSTAR Live Lab, described how York's trailblazing research in creative technologies will be ingrained in its Mumbai campus.

“CoSTAR is a UK government-backed initiative 76 million invested to keep the UK at the cutting edge of creative innovation. The Mumbai campus will serve as a gateway for Indian students to access this innovation”, he said. He emphasised the potential for deep collaboration with Mumbai’s booming film and media industries, stating that students in creative programs will benefit from access to emerging technologies and joint projects that span both countries.

Courses taught in the Mumbai campus will be academically the same as courses taught at York's home campus. According to UGC rules, all academic programs are to be pre-accredited in the UK and taught without dilution.

What will be different, though, is intense local industry linkage from day one. Prof Jeffery added that Indian students and parents place greater expectations on placements and employer interaction, which he said York has taken seriously.

We already have an MoU with the Tech Entrepreneurs Association of Mumbai and existing partnerships with Sun Pharma and Tata", he explained, adding that the university had also agreed to establishing a special industry placements system in Mumbai.

When queried if this is a reaction to stricter immigration policies and a means to keep Indian students in India, Prof Jeffery elucidated, "This isn't about shunting students who may have attended York in the UK. I think one of the things that we see is the very, very high ambition of the Indian government to get more young people into higher education, and we see ourselves filling that unmet demand".

He also noted the added environmental advantage of foreign universities establishing locally. "Travel to the UK comes with an environmental cost. Bringing the university to where the students already are makes sense," he stated.

The Mumbai campus will maintain the same quality control and academic standards for which York is renowned internationally. Prof Jeffery pointed to the institution's premier status one of only four UK institutions with high-rated research and teaching alongside Oxford, Cambridge, and Imperial College London.

On how standards will be maintained, he explained that all academic affairs in Mumbai will be covered by a University of York-appointed provost who will ensure standards and recruitment are the same back home.  "The University of York in Mumbai will be as much York as our home campus", he explained.

In the future, Prof Jeffery added the vision in the long term is not merely growth in numbers but in output of research, collaborations with industry, and international influence. "It took 61 years to get the first Nobel Prize in York. It's our hope that it won't take as long in Mumbai". he said.