NEW DELHI: Union Minister of Education Dharmendra Pradhan has inaugurated the India campus of the University of Southampton in Gurugram, Haryana, along with Nayab Singh Saini, Chief Minister of Haryana.
The University of Southampton—a QS Top 100 global institution and founding member of the UK’s Russell Group—becomes the first foreign university to run a campus in India under the University Grants Commission’s (Setting up and Operation of Campuses of Foreign Higher Educational Institutions in India) Regulations.
Pradhan said that 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.
He lauded the University of Southampton for setting up this state-of-the-art campus within a year of receiving the LoI.
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.
Pradhan invited other leading universities across the world to come to India for co-creating ecosystems of innovation, research and education.
The new Gurugram campus will offer globally recognised undergraduate and postgraduate programmes aligned with UK academic standards.
Inaugurated the India campus of University of Southampton in Gurugram with CM Shri @NayabSainiBJP ji. 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… pic.twitter.com/ImbJRaxMSW
— Dharmendra Pradhan (@dpradhanbjp) July 16, 2025
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, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini reaffirmed his government’s commitment to positioning the region as a global education and innovation hub.
Lord Patel OBE, Chancellor of the University of Southampton and Member of the UK House of Lords, and Lindy Cameron, British High Commissioner to India, expressed their support for expanding UK–India educational partnerships.
Secretary, Higher Education and Chairman UGC, Dr. Vineet Joshi, highlighted 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.
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.
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.
These faculty members bring experience from global academic centres in the UK, UAE, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, Germany, Japan, and the United States.
The University of Southampton has a global alumni network of more than 290,000 graduates, including over 1,700 from India. Many of these alumni are expected to support the India campus by serving as mentors and industry ambassadors.
The University received its official Letter of Intent on 29 August 2024, followed by a public announcement and formal launch on 13 September 2024.