It makes the Chicago-based university the first US institution approved by the University Grants Commission (UGC) to establish a degree-granting campus in India, with a mixture of undergraduate and postgraduate programs to focus on engineering, computer science and business.
Illinois Tech president Raj Echambadi said the move was a “bold and forward-looking investment in the future of American competitiveness” that would help to strengthen a “globally educated pipeline of industry-ready STEM talent”.
With the announcement two years in the making, the Illinois Tech Mumbai campus will further cement the institution’s links with India, vice-president for enrolment management and student affairs Mallik Sundharam commented.
“In the past five years, we’ve seen a more than 73% increase in graduate students from India choosing Illinois Tech. Our new Mumbai campus responds to this extraordinary demand by delivering globally recognised, US-accredited degrees in a format that is highly accessible, affordable, and locally contextualised,” he said.
We are meeting learners where they are – so we can serve employers where they are
Mallik Sundharam, Illinois Tech
Like their counterparts at the Chicago university, students at the Mumbai campus will gain access to Illinois Tech’s Elevate program, which involved research projects and internships. The new campus will also open up new cross-campus study options, allowing students in both countries the opportunity to study abroad.
“We are meeting learners where they are – so we can serve employers where they are,” said Sundharam.
“We extend our sincere gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the government of India, and the UGC for opening the door to expand one of the world’s most sought-after and valuable exports – education – into India,” he added.
The transnational education (TNE) venture is set to open up new international enrolment avenues for the university at a time when the US’s international education sector is being squeezed by the Trump administration’s mass attacks on overseas students’ legal status.
Recent research from StudyPortals revealed that postgraduate interest in the US had nosedived by 40% in the first quarter of 2025, with interest from India declining by around a third.
Illinois Tech is the latest in a string of prominent Western universities announcing plans to open branch campuses in India.
Most recently, the UK’s University of York and Australia’s University of Western Australia unveiled plans to open new locations in Mumbai, while the Maharashtra government is inviting UK, US and Australian universities to establish branch campuses in “Third Mumbai” – a new urban development planned on the outskirts of the planned city Navi Mumbai.
