Victoria University (VU) has officially been granted a licence by the Indian government to establish a full-scale campus in India. The announcement, made at a ceremony in New Delhi, marks a major step forward in transnational education between Australia and India.
The approval comes as part of India’s National Education Policy (NEP), which was introduced to encourage greater global collaboration and innovation in the country’s higher education sector. VU received a Letter of Intent from India’s University Grants Commission (UGC) alongside Western Sydney University, La Trobe University and the University of Bristol (UK), confirming its status as an approved Foreign Higher Education Institution. The licence provides the university with the green light to begin working with education partners in India and to set up a new campus by 2027.
The new campus will be located in the Delhi National Capital Region and will offer a suite of undergraduate, postgraduate, and research programs. It will also feature the university’s innovative and award-winning VU Block Model, a distinctive approach to learning that allows students to focus on one subject at a time in intensive four-week study blocks.
VU was the first Australian university to implement the Block Model and remains the largest university outside North America to use this method. It has been widely praised for improving student outcomes through smaller class sizes, stronger teacher-student engagement, and a focus on practical learning.
VU Pro Vice-Chancellor (Global), Monty Singh, welcomed the announcement as an exciting step forward for the university’s international strategy. “VU can progress its strong connections to India – we look forward to working alongside local partners to share knowledge, deliver industry-focused qualifications, and make a real contribution to India’s National Education Policy,” he said.
The university sees the expansion into India as an opportunity not only to deliver its education model to a new cohort of students, but also to learn from local partners and adapt the model to meet Indian industry needs.
VU Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Chief Academic Officer, Professor John Germov, said the university is looking forward to contributing to India’s growing knowledge economy. “We are delighted at the opportunity to share our unique VU Block Model with industry, students, and teachers in India,” he said. “We plan to work with local partners to gain insights and learnings to ensure the Block Model remains at the forefront of industry needs, and our graduates are ready to support one of the strongest economies in the world.”
The NEP framework introduced by the Indian government aims to overhaul and modernise the country’s education sector by opening it to reputable foreign universities, encouraging more interdisciplinary learning, and making Indian graduates more competitive globally. VU’s presence in India will support these goals by offering programs aligned with workforce needs and by providing pathways for students seeking globally recognised qualifications.
The university’s move is also expected to strengthen Australia–India education ties, which have deepened significantly in recent years through government agreements and institutional partnerships. The establishment of the VU campus comes at a time when Indian student interest in Australian education continues to grow, both onshore and offshore.
Victoria University’s planned campus is expected to serve as a model for how international institutions can collaborate meaningfully with Indian stakeholders, while offering programs that are both academically rigorous and highly attuned to global and local employment demands.
Planning and partnership development for the new campus will continue over the next two years, with the first student intake expected by 2027.
Victoria University, Western Sydney University and La Trobe University join Deakin and Wollongong in India, who have established presences in GIFT City in Gujarat.
