Australia’s famous Victoria University has received official approval from the University Grants Commission (UGC) to open a campus in India. This campus will be in Gurugram in Delhi-NCR area. With this approval, the university will be able to start its academic programs in India. This announcement is being considered an important step towards educational cooperation between India and Australia.
**Approval during PM Modi’s visit**
This approval was received during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Australia. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese welcomed the decision during the India-Australia annual summit held in Melbourne. On this occasion, India’s High Commissioner to Australia Nagesh Singh handed over the approval letter to the Victoria University authorities.
**Which courses will be offered?**
The Gurugram campus will offer many popular and job-oriented courses for students. These will include undergraduate and postgraduate programs such as Business, Data Science, Information Technology, Cyber Security, Global MBA and Master of Applied Information Technology. Students completing these courses will receive a recognized Australian degree.
**Information given by the University**
The university says that its aim is to give the students here the same educational experience as they get in its Australian campus. To do this, the university will run classes using its unique ‘block model’. Under this model, students will focus on only one subject at a time. The emphasis will be on improving students’ understanding and performance through a system of small classes, regular assessments and practical learning.
**What will be the benefits to the students?**
The university has also announced that students studying in India will get semester exchange, transfer and future opportunities for higher education at the Melbourne campus. Additionally, merit-based scholarships of up to ₹3 lakh will be given to deserving students every year. Professor Karen Dodd, Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Victoria University India, said that after receiving the approval, the university is now ready to welcome the first batch of students. He said that the aim of the institute is to provide an environment where students can build successful careers equipped with new technology, understanding of industry needs and essential professional skills.
Meanwhile, Victoria University India Chief Operating Officer (COO) Abhishek Sharma said that preparations for the campus had been going on for several months. Facilities like modern classrooms, student support services, industry connectivity and career guidance will be provided here, so that students will be able to experience the environment of an Australian university in India itself. Victoria University, with a history of almost 110 years, has approximately 52,000 students from all over the world. With the opening of this campus in India, academic, research and educational cooperation between the two countries is expected to be further strengthened. The move will also advance the goals of the National Education Policy 2020, which emphasizes on providing world-class higher education in India.