Ranked among the world’s top 100 art and design institutes, Italy’s Istituto Marangoni, boasting alumni such as Franco Moschino, founder of the Italian fashion brand Moschino, and designer Rahul Mishra, the first Indian to win the Woolmark Prize, is likely to apply under the new regulations of the University Grants Commission (UGC) to establish a branch campus in India.
The Indian Express has learned that representatives of Istituto Marangoni have been in touch with the higher education regulator, exploring potential sites for the campus, with options including Mumbai, Delhi, or Gurugram.
Marangoni already operates independent branch campuses in Milan, Paris, London, and Shanghai. Additionally, it has a presence in India through a vocational institute in Mumbai; however, it only offers certificate courses.
The higher education regulator recently unveiled its final regulations, providing a comprehensive framework for foreign universities ranked among the world’s top 500 to set up branch campuses in India. The regulations empower foreign universities to decide their admission process, fee structure, and even repatriate funds to their parent campuses. The application portal went live last week.
Welcoming the new UGC regulations, Stefania Valenti, the managing director of Instiuto Marangoni, said, “UGC regulations are a welcome move by the Indian education system to open its doors to international Higher Education institutes of excellence and will help students from India and from the neighboring countries in the long term.” According to sources, Instiuto Marangoni may take a couple of months before making a formal application to UGC.
As first reported by The Indian Express on November 7, Western Sydney University (WSU), ranked 375th globally, is also keen on establishing its independent campus in Bengaluru by 2025. Although Australian Education Minister Jason Clare has already announced WSU’s plans for a branch campus dedicated to agricultural science, sources said the university hasn’t identified a deadline by which it will file an application with the UGC portal.
Apart from that, six Australian universities are planning a joint campus in India. It is learned that Flinders University (ranked 380th globally), Griffith University (ranked 243rd), James Cook University (415th), La Trobe University (242nd), University of Canberra (421st), and Western Sydney University (375th) are expected to collaborate for a branch in either Greater Noida, Delhi (NCR), or Mumbai. Sources at the Australian High Commission told this newspaper that although WSU is planning its independent campus in Bengaluru, it will also be part of the above joint effort.
While the six universities have already signed a memorandum of understanding to “explore the opportunity for a new consortium approach to the in-country delivery of Australian degrees in India,” sources said that the vice-chancellors of these universities are likely to meet and discuss the details and timeframe for the application by the end of this year. ‘An application will most likely be filed early next year,’ the source added.
It was further learned that another Australian university, the University of Queensland (QS world university rank 43), had held talks with the UGC about international partnerships and has concluded that it is “not looking to set up a physical campus at this moment in India.”
Courtesy : The Indian Express