Key Points
- Deakin University to open world-first teaching campus in India.
- Australia to offer scholarships to Indian international students.
- Indian degrees to be recognised in Australia.
Australia's Deakin University will become the first university in the world to open an international teaching campus in India in a bid to provide international-level opportunities to local students who cannot afford to travel and live in Australia to study.
The campus will open in mid-2024 at Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City) in Gandhinagar in western India.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed the decision on the first day of his two-day tour of Gujarat. He hailed the announcement as a "great honour" for Deakin and Australia.
"The campus will be built at the new GIFT district not far from here and will offer students the opportunity to study cyber security and business analytics with Deakin.
"Along with Deakin, the University of Wollongong also has intentions to establish a campus at GIFT City," the prime minister announced on Wednesday.
The decision comes as the demand from Indian students for an Australian degree is blooming. Nearly 44,000 visa applications from India were received in January, with the country leapfrogging China for the first time as the number one source of international students Down Under.
Australia’s Deakin University to become the first foreign tertiary education institution in the world to establish a campus in India. Source: Getty
"Deakin was the first international university to establish its presence in India in 1994, and since then, through innovative collaborations across research, education and training, we have forged a bond based on commitment, excellence, trust and transparency," Professor Martin said.
The course offerings on campus will initially include the Master of Cyber Security and Master of Business Analytics before expanding to degrees from the faculties of science, engineering and built environment, and business and law.
Deakin said the campus will operate on the basis that standards and requirements are equivalent to those at their campuses in Australia.
"Students will receive the same standard of higher education in GIFT City as in Australia, with academic standards based on Deakin's standards frameworks and manuals aligned with Australia's national accreditation body, the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA)," Deakin University said in a press release.
'Indian students prefer to live in Australia to pursue academic degrees'
Ravi Lochan Singh, Director of Global Reach, which represents Australian universities in South Asia. Source: Supplied / Supplied by Ravi Lochan Singh
"I want to congratulate the (Deakin) team. I learned that it would only offer limited degrees initially, and it is unclear on the infrastructure or faculties at this time. However, it is a start," he told SBS Punjabi.
Mr Singh, however, said that he doesn't think that students who want to travel overseas to pursue higher education will benefit from the decision.
"I don't believe that students who want to study overseas will choose to study at the Indian campus, and thus the offerings will attract the students who may want to get a world-class degree without travelling overseas.
"I must add here that all surveys have indicated that a large proportion of Indian students choose to study in Australia by being in Australia," he said.
Australia–India Education Qualifications Recognition Mechanism
Indian degrees to be recognised in Australia. Source: SBS / SBS News
The pact will provide Indian students with greater certainty that a degree they obtain from an Australian university will be recognised if they want to continue higher education in India.
It is the most comprehensive and ambitious arrangement agreed to by India with any country.Prime Minister Anthony Albanese
"This new mechanism means that if you're an Indian student who's studying – or about to study – in Australia, your hard-earned degree will be recognised when you return home.
"Or if you're a member of Australia's large Indian diaspora, you'll be able to feel more confident that your Indian qualifications will be recognised in Australia," Mr Albanese said.
In addition to the mechanism, 11 memoranda of understanding were signed between Australian and Indian education counterparts during Education Minister Jason Clare's visit to New Delhi earlier this month.
These institutions are expected to drive bilateral cooperation between the two countries across various fields, including bio-innovation and law.
Scholarships for Indian international students
Mr Albanese also announced a new 'Maitri' (friendship) scholarship for Indian students to study in Australia for up to four years.
"The scholarships are part of the wider Maitri program that seeks to boost cultural, educational and community ties between Australia and India," the prime minister said.
Police personnel stand next to a poster with pictures of Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (L) and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad on March 7, 2023. Source: AFP / PUNIT PARANJPE/AFP via Getty Images
The match is expected to play host to the largest crowd for a game of cricket, with the stadium's capacity of over 130,000 people.
The prime minister will then travel to Mumbai to participate in a CEO forum with Australian and Indian business leaders.
