The India campus of the University of Southampton was inaugurated on Wednesday by the Union Minister of Education, Dharmendra Pradhan, in Gurugram, Haryana. The university received its official Letter of Intent in August last year followed by a public announcement and formal launch in September 2024.

The first cohort at the India campus includes academically accomplished students from across India and from international locations such as the United Arab Emirates and Nepal.

Addressing the gathering, Pradhan said this marks a momentous milestone towards internationalisation of education at home under NEP 2020, and also towards strengthening the education pillar of India-UK cooperation as envisioned in the India-UK Roadmap 2030.

Commending and congratulating the University of Southampton for setting up this state-of-the-art campus within a year of receiving the LoI, the education minister said that the campus, with its basket of forward-looking courses and Southampton’s legacy of academic excellence, will emerge as a distinguished institution shaping leaders of tomorrow.

“Southampton University’s campus in Gurugram will create new synergies, foster a new culture of curiosity and excellence, and present an added choice to students to access world-class education at a more affordable cost and nearer to home and family,” he said.

He urged the University of Southampton leadership to start STEM courses at the Gurugram campus and added that this campus should aim to become a hub of solutions for global challenges.

Pradhan said that education has been placed at the heart of India’s development. “Through the internationalisation of education at home, India is being envisioned as a global knowledge destination, reviving its civilisational legacy and reigniting its intellectual heritage from Pushpagiri and Nalanda to Gurugram,” he added.

He invited other leading universities across the world to come to India for co-creating ecosystems of innovation, research and education, and said that together, efforts should be made to build a bright future and drive innovation and progress.

The new Gurugram campus will offer globally recognised undergraduate and postgraduate programmes aligned with UK academic standards. Students may spend up to one year at the University’s campuses in the UK or Malaysia. Programmes commencing in 2025 include undergraduate (BSc) courses in Computer Science, Economics, Accounting & Finance, Business Management, and postgraduate (MSc) courses in Finance and International Management.

Speaking on the occasion Secretary, Higher Education and Chairman UGC, Dr. Vineet Joshi said that this is the first campus set up under UGC’s new regulations enabling top foreign universities to establish branch campuses in India, a key reform under the National Education Policy 2020.

Dr. Joshi noted that NEP 2020 positions India as a global hub for education, research, and innovation, and emphasised that the UGC has created a streamlined, transparent process to facilitate such initiatives. Acknowledging the proactive support of the Haryana Government, he expressed confidence that the University of Southampton, with its legacy of academic excellence, will offer quality education in critical areas like Computer Science, Economics, International Business, and Management, contributing to India’s priorities in digital innovation and global leadership.

The university is set to hire over 75 full-time faculty members who meet UK academic standards and will be expected to undertake the University’s Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice.