The University of Western Australia has received approval from India’s University Grants Commission to establish international branch campuses in Mumbai and Chennai, with operations expected to begin around August 2026. The expansion makes UWA the first foreign university to announce plans for two campuses in India under the country’s regulations that allow overseas universities to set up local campuses.
The university, a member of the Group of Eight and ranked among the world’s top 100 institutions, plans an investment of about $73 million investment (₹500 crore) to build its India presence. Proposed sites include Andheri in Mumbai and the Porur/Manapakkam area in Chennai, with the Chennai campus expected to operate from DLF Cyber City.
The Mumbai campus is expected to begin with business-focused programmes, while the Chennai campus will focus on technology and technical disciplines. Planned offerings include undergraduate degrees in business management, economics, computer science, data science and artificial intelligence, along with postgraduate programmes such as IT and MBA degrees and courses including sports science. The curriculum is intended to mirror that taught in Western Australia and incorporate work-integrated internships.
The university expects an initial intake of around 200–300 students, with plans to grow enrolments to about 5,000 within five years and up to 12,000 within a decade, including the development of residential facilities. Around 100 faculty members are expected to be recruited, including academics from Australia and Indian and Indian-origin scholars. Annual tuition fees are expected to be broadly comparable to Australian domestic fees, estimated at about AUD 25,000 per year.
The university has also signed memorandums of understanding with IIM Mumbai and IIT (ISM) Dhanbad for collaboration in areas including mining, automation and sustainability, and plans to establish a UWA India Centre in Visakhapatnam to support research and innovation.
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