Malaysia’s Lincoln University College to set up campus in Telangana

After Australia became the first ever country to setup a foreign campus in India with Deakin University recently inaugurating its branch campus in GIFT City, Gujarat, now another foreign institute has shown interest in setting up campus in India. Malaysia’s Lincoln University College has applied to the University Grants Commission (UGC) to set up a campus in Telangana, the Union Ministry of Education told the Lok Sabha recently. The Commission has formed a five-member committee to assess the university’s application, and their decision is expected soon.

“The UGC has opened the portal for inviting applications for setting up campuses of FHEIs (Foreign Higher Education Institutions) in India. An application has been received from Lincoln University College, Malaysia, for setting up a campus in Telangana,” said Union Minister of State for Education Subhas Sarkar.

In response to a query about the affordability of Foreign Higher Education Institutions (FHEIs) for Indian students, Sarkar mentioned that these institutions might offer full or partial scholarships based on merit or financial needs. They may also provide tuition fee concessions to students who are Indian citizens.

Meanwhile, Australia’s University of Wollongong is set to expand its presence in India by inaugurating its foreign branch campus in GIFT City. The University of Wollongong India (UOW India) has opened applications for students wishing to study at its GIFT City campus. At the same time, UOW India also announced it has added a Master of Financial Technology and a Graduate Certificate in Financial Technology (both subject to final approval) to the programmes it will offer students this year. These two programs are joining the previously announced Master of Computing (Data Analytics) and Graduate Certificate in Computing programmes which will be launched in July this year.

Also, Western Sydney University (WSU), which is ranked 375th globally, will be the third Australian varsity to open a campus in India. They are looking to start the campus in Bengaluru by 2025. WSU plans to offer STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education in Bengaluru with a focus on agriculture.

Lincoln University College is ranked in the 301-340th in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2023. The University College is also crowned with 5 Star ranking by the Ministry of Higher Education, Malaysia in 2017. Lincoln University College is listed among the top nine Malaysian universities according to the Times Higher Education (THE) University Impact Rankings 2019. The institute offers diploma and bachelor’s degrees in medicine, pharmacy, dentistry, nursing, science, engineering, computer science and multimedia, social science arts, humanities, architecture and built environment, hospitality, tourism, business and accountancy.

According to regulatory guidelines, FHEIs aiming to set up campuses in India must either be ranked within the top 500 globally in overall rankings, subject-specific rankings, or showcase exceptional expertise in a specific field.