Australia’s La Trobe University, Victoria University, Western Sydney University, and the UK’s University of Bristol have each been granted LOIs to establish the campuses, on the sidelines of the inaugural Akhil Bhartiya Shiksha Samagam 2025, held today to mark the fifth anniversary of India’s National Education Policy 2020.
La Trobe’s plans to establish a campus in India have been confirmed to The PIE News by a university spokesperson, who said the move aligns with the university’s Strategic Plan 2025–2030, which outlines a goal to pursue a “much greater presence and engagement with India”.
“As a global university with a long and deep association with India through diverse educational partnerships, pioneering research and industry engagement, we are excited at the potential to expand our real-world impact in India,” stated the spokesperson.
According to Indian news agency PTI, La Trobe, known for its research in smart cities, molecular sciences, and biotechnology, will offer bachelor’s programs in business, computer science, and public health, as confirmed by a senior Ministry of Education official.
While further details about the planned Bengaluru campus and related initiatives will be announced soon, the La Trobe University spokesperson noted that the institute remains active in India through research collaborations like the “Asian Smart Cities Research Innovation Network, joint PhD programs, industry partnerships, and student mobility initiatives”, including a joint civil engineering degree with Mahindra University and a 30-year partnership with Lady Shri Ram College for Women.
As a global university with a long and deep association with India… we are excited at the potential to expand our real-world impact in India
La Trobe University spokesperson
La Trobe, a member of the seven-university Innovative Research Universities (IRU) network, was initially part of a consortium campus plan with fellow members Flinders University, Griffith University, James Cook University, the University of Canberra, and Western Sydney University, as previously reported by The PIE.
Although initial discussions considered a joint campus in Haryana offering undergraduate programs in cybersecurity, software engineering, tourism and hospitality, artificial intelligence, and more, the member universities ultimately decided to pursue their individual offshore campus plans.
Among them, Western Sydney, is planning a branch campus in Greater Noida offering undergraduate courses in business analytics, business marketing, and an MBA in innovation and entrepreneurship, as well as logistics and supply chain management.
According to Paul Harris, executive director, IRU, the announcement of La Trobe and WSU campuses shows that IRU members are “leading the way in the development of innovative models of international education,” having worked together since 2021 to explore new opportunities in transnational education and share expertise and best practices.
“Approximately one third of all international students across the IRU are studying offshore, which is significantly higher than the average across all Australian universities,” stated Harris, who added that the network has also focused on strengthening ties in the Indo-Pacific region through education and research initiatives.
“We should be building upon the foundations of our offshore campuses to better connect Australia into our region’s innovation system – we should expand our thinking about transnational education (TNE) to include transnational research (TNR).”
While GIFT City continues to attract international universities, with Australia’s Deakin University and the University of Wollongong already offering undergraduate and postgraduate programs from their campuses in the central business district, since last year, recent developments suggest that North India is also emerging as a destination of interest.
Victoria University, for instance, is also planning to open a campus in Noida, which has recently emerged as a major industrial hub.
The dual-sector university, offering both higher education and vocational training, will launch undergraduate, postgraduate, and research programs at its Delhi NCR campus, adopting its signature VU Block Model approach.
“Internationally recognised and award-winning, the VU Block Model allows students to focus on one subject at a time over four-week blocks through interactive workshop style classes. VU was the first university in Australia to introduce this unique learning model and remains the largest university outside North America to do so,” read the statement from the university, which has earned the distinction of being the first from the Australian state of Victoria to establish a campus in India.
“We are delighted at the opportunity to share our unique VU Block Model with industry, students, and teachers in India. We plan to work with local partners to gain insights and learnings to make sure the Block Model remains at the forefront of industry needs, and our graduates are ready to support one of the strongest economies in the world,” stated Victoria University’s senior deputy vice-chancellor and chief academic officer, Professor John Germov.
Meanwhile, the University of Bristol is among several UK universities, such as Southampton, Liverpool, York, and Aberdeen, that have either launched campuses in India or received letters of intent, with more institutions expected to follow.
Bristol’s India campus, called the Mumbai Enterprise Campus, is set to open in summer 2026 and will “bring its world-class strengths in data science, AI, economics, fintech, and immersive arts to India”, as per a statement by the university.
