The College of Liverpool, a globally ranked UK establishment, is ready to open its first impartial campus in India by September 2026 in Bengaluru, marking a major milestone because the second main UK college after Southampton to ascertain a presence within the nation. With a robust deal with forging {industry} partnerships to reinforce scholar employability, the campus goals to ship world-class schooling tailor-made to the nation’s dynamic job market, replicating the success of its acclaimed China enterprise.
Chatting with The Indian Categorical, Professor Tim Jones, Vice-Chancellor of the College of Liverpool, emphasised that “Bengaluru’s entrepreneurial spirit” drew the establishment to arrange a campus in India. The choice to decide on Bengaluru, he stated, was additionally pushed by “the college’s long-standing collaborations within the metropolis, together with a 20-year partnership with Nimhans (Nationwide Institute of Psychological Well being and Neuro Sciences) on infectious illness analysis” which performed an important function in forming World Well being Group’s (WHO) vaccine pointers for Japanese encephalitis, saving an estimated 2 lakh lives.
Collaborations with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and Unilever additional solidified the town’s enchantment as a hub for innovation and analysis. “Bengaluru’s entrepreneurial spirit and demand for greater schooling make it the right match,” Jones famous.
He additionally highlighted the college’s dedication to constructing sturdy ties with native and multinational corporations to make sure graduates are job-ready. “We’re signing MoUs with corporations like Wipro and Axis Financial institution to supply placements, work expertise, and industry-driven curriculum enter,” Jones stated. “This mannequin, profitable in Liverpool with companions like Unilever, might be tailored to Bengaluru’s vibrant, high-tech ecosystem.”
Welcoming the varsity’s entry into Karnataka, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah stated, “Karnataka has at all times been on the forefront of schooling and innovation. The College of Liverpool’s determination to arrange its first overseas campus in Bengaluru reinforces our standing as a world information vacation spot. We welcome them wholeheartedly and are dedicated to extending all help to make this enterprise a grand success.”
The Bengaluru campus will provide undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in high-demand fields resembling Laptop Science, Synthetic Intelligence, Knowledge Science, Enterprise Administration, Accounting & Finance, Biomedical Sciences, and Video games Design. These programmes will mirror the curriculum and high quality of Liverpool’s UK campus, guaranteeing world recognition of levels.
The campus, accredited by the College Grants Fee (UGC) in simply three to 4 months following an utility in December 2024, will begin with a number of hundred college students and goals to develop to five,000 in 5 years and 10,000 in ten years. A blended college mannequin will prioritise native hires, with a small proportion of Liverpool-based workers guaranteeing educational consistency. A College of Liverpool Provost will oversee operations and keep world requirements.
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Addressing affordability issues, Jones acknowledged India’s numerous financial panorama. “We’re engaged on a payment construction delicate to the native context, with particulars and scholarship data to be introduced quickly,” he stated. Sustainability will even be embedded throughout the curriculum, notably in fields like AI, the place power consumption is a rising concern.
In contrast to its joint-venture campus in Suzhou, China, which hosts 27,000 college students, the Bengaluru campus might be a totally impartial Liverpool entity, supported by Indian operational companions. Whereas the precise location is but to be finalised, an announcement is predicted quickly. The college dismissed any plans for added abroad campuses.
Chandru Iyer, British Deputy Excessive Commissioner in Bengaluru, stated: “The UK and India have made a dedication to refresh and deepen our partnership to ship much more for each nations. Our expanded partnership will ship iconic, forward-looking collaborations in numerous areas resembling AI and semiconductors, greater schooling campuses, and inexperienced power initiatives. The announcement of Liverpool College opening a campus in Bengaluru is each proof and a celebration of the UK-India partnership.”
He added, “The Know-how Safety Initiative, introduced in July 2024, will ship essential collaboration on telecoms innovation and unlock funding throughout rising applied sciences. Moreover, the UK-India FTA introduced not too long ago delivers on the UK authorities’s core mission of rising the economic system, elevating residing requirements, and placing cash in individuals’s pockets.”