In alignment with the goals of National Education Policy 2020 to promote transnational education and provide global educational opportunities, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has issued letters of intent to prestigious foreign universities, the first foreign university to get this letter was the University of Southampton which has just inaugurated its campus in Gurugram. Other universities which have been awarded with the letters of intent are University of Liverpool, University of York and University of Aberdeen.
While the University of Liverpool received its letter in May 2025, on 14 June 2025, Union Minister of Education Dharmendra Pradhan formally handed over the letters of intent to University of York and University of Aberdeen, marking a significant step towards internationalising higher education in the country. Notably, the University of Aberdeen is the first Scottish university and one of the UK’s oldest institutions to gain approval for a branch campus in India.
The British Council takes pride in supporting these initiatives aimed at bringing world-class education closer to students in India. This move is set to transform the higher education landscape by providing Indian students with greater access to global curricula and learning environments—without the need to study abroad.