As many as 13 foreign universities have either established or proposed campuses in India, with six of them from the United Kingdom. On July 29, the University Grants Commission (UGC) issued a letter of intent to the University of Bristol for opening its first overseas campus in India.
In an email interview with indianexpress.com, Professor Evelyn Welch, vice chancellor and president of the University of Bristol, explains why the university has chosen Mumbai for its new campus, the scholarships and courses it plans to offer, and how student exchange programmes will be facilitated.
What inspired the University of Bristol to set up a campus in Mumbai? How many campuses do you have worldwide?
Evelyn Welch: We have recognised that the world is a global place and that we need to engage globally. India is our very first overseas campus, and we chose Mumbai because it’s an amazing city with remarkable opportunities that very much mirror those that we already have in Bristol. So, we see these as mirror enterprise campuses and students will be able to have very similar and yet distinctively different experiences of an exciting curriculum based around business, science and technology. We’re opening our enterprise campus just by the train station in Bristol in 2026, and our enterprise campus in Mumbai will open at the same time.
What academic programmes will be offered initially at the Mumbai campus?
Evelyn Welch: We’ll be offering a range of programmes spanning some of the areas that Bristol is excellent in, around data science, economics, immersive arts and also some engineering disciplines. We will be gradually expanding our programme into areas including business, management, innovation and entrepreneurship, and immersive technologies.
Will the degrees awarded in India be the same as those conferred at the UK campus?
Evelyn Welch: The degrees we’re devising are based on those offered in Bristol, but they will be distinctive and will be adapted for the Indian context using Indian examples and ensuring, above all, that the employability, internships, and relationships with industry are specific to what employers in India are looking for.
Will you offer UG, PG and doctoral programmes from the start or phase them in gradually?
Evelyn Welch: We’ll start by offering a limited number of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. We do have ambitions to host PhD students on our Mumbai Enterprise campus, not just trained locally, but also opening up collaborations with major Indian universities and mobility to visit India from Bristol. We’ll start off in the first year with undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, but aim to build a vibrant hub for all types of learning and academic exchange.
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What kind of faculty model is envisaged? British faculty relocating, local hires, or a hybrid?
Evelyn Welch: It will be a hybrid of the two. So, we will hire local faculty, hopefully global faculty, that we’ll be bringing to Mumbai to specialise and teach, and research at our Mumbai Enterprise campus. They’ll be complemented by the expertise that we have in Bristol, with current UK-based staff travelling to India to teach as part of our award-winning degree programmes.
How will the University of Bristol ensure academic standards and quality are consistent across both campuses?
Evelyn Welch: It’s absolutely core to our mission that the academic standards and quality are consistent and of the highest quality across both campuses. This will be assured through a range of our regular monitoring, but also deep connectivity between the teaching that takes place in Mumbai and the teaching that takes place in Bristol itself. Campus leadership in Mumbai will report to the University leadership in Bristol, thereby creating a direct connection to quality assurance and the highest level of coordination, too.
Will students have access to the same research infrastructure, support systems, and mentoring as those in the UK?
Evelyn Welch: We are just starting the new Mumbai campus, whereas the campus in Bristol has been going for 150 years. Inevitably, this means the infrastructure will be different. However, the support systems and mentoring here in Mumbai will take advantage of the relatively small cohort and the innovative approaches that we will be able to take, above all, to employability and industry relationships.
Over time, we expect to have strong research partnerships as well as education partnerships. These will build on our existing strong research partnerships with organisations like the Indian Institutes of Technology, for example.
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Will students have options for semester exchanges or transferring to the UK campus?
Evelyn Welch: Yes. It is a key part of our ambition to create opportunities for students from our Mumbai campus to spend short periods, semesters, or entire years at Bristol, and for our Bristol students to reciprocate by visiting Mumbai. We see this as being a global dialogue for Bristol and an opportunity to really further the opportunities that we’re able to afford our student base both in Bristol and in Mumbai and that will be complemented by a range of extracurricular activities and a personal support programme, which will be tailored towards the particular needs of those students studying in India.
Will Indian students who begin their degree in Mumbai be eligible for work placements or post-study work rights in the UK later?
Evelyn Welch: Unfortunately not. It’s a question of where the student is fully resident for their time studying, but they will of course, have access to our excellent careers support, all of the networks of our global alumni body for the university, and be able to actively participate in the networks that the university has.
What steps are being taken to ensure that quality UK education remains affordable for Indian students at the Mumbai campus?
Evelyn Welch: One of the main drivers of our ambition for the Mumbai Enterprise Campus, similarly to Temple Quarter in Bristol, is widening participation in a world-class education. The fees for programmes taught in Mumbai will be balanced to reflect the in-country pricing of higher education in India, and that they are being taught in a global hub like Mumbai.
We’re also complementing this with a significant commitment towards scholarships, extending our award-winning Think Big Scholarship Programme to our Mumbai Enterprise Campus to ensure that Bristol education can remain affordable and accessible to as many students as possible.
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With nearly five UK universities in the process of establishing campuses in India, do you view them as competitors in the higher education space? In addition to international players like Australian universities, how do you perceive competition from established Indian universities?
Evelyn Welch: We’re excited to be joining other UK universities in collaboration with some of the great universities that already exist in India. We view deep local partnership as the foundation on which we are establishing our new campus. We also see the intersection of innovation with world-class capacity in technology, like immersive arts and AI, sitting side-by-side with our recognised leadership in civic engagement – a real distinguishing feature of Bristol.
This is certified international recognition according to various global and domestic rankings: we are the highest-ranked UK institution to gain approval for an opening in 2026. We are ranked 51st globally and 8th in the UK by the QS World Universities Rankings, rising steadily over the last five years. We are a world-leading institution with 150 years of excellence in education and research, and we hope to bring that sense of competitive quality, not just amongst foreign institutions operating in India, but amongst our Indian partners as well.
As per reports, British universities are facing a mounting financial crisis, driven by a significant decline in international student enrolment across multiple countries. Is it because of this reason UK universities are entering newer regions like India?
Evelyn Welch: Our impetus for setting up a campus in India is a strong sense of the world as a place where global relationships really matter. We want to ensure that our students, whether they are in the UK or in India, have those global networks, and that’s what is driving us today.
How many Indians study in UoB, and what are the most popular courses?
Evelyn Welch: We have approximately 800 students from India studying with us at a mix of undergraduate and postgraduate taught levels. The majority study at a postgraduate taught level with us, which is reflective of the UK higher education system as a whole.
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Popular subjects include those across our business school, across economics and finance, as well as those wishing to study with our world-leading experts in engineering. We also know that there is good Indian demand for other courses and subjects, like those planned for the Mumbai Enterprise Campus, which cannot be met in Bristol only, or who face barriers to travel; bringing these opportunities directly to them is a key driver of our ambition with the campus.
What skills do Indians students lack and what are their strengths?
Evelyn Welch: Indian students, like students from wherever they arrive, sometimes lack confidence and don’t realise how many skills they already have and how to deepen their skills. They’re often exceptional at mathematics, engineering and at problem solving like other students from around the globe. What they need to do is to develop those human skills of listening, understanding and appreciating the views of others.
