Establish International Campuses to Overcome Visa Obstacles: The Illinois Institute of Technology has achieved the distinction of being the first university in the United States to obtain approval from the Indian government to establish an independent, degree-granting campus in India. Set to commence operations in the fall of 2026, the new Illinois Tech-Mumbai campus will provide undergraduate and graduate programs in high-demand areas such as computer science, engineering, and business.
“Illinois Tech was established to democratize access to technology and innovation for everyone,” stated Raj Echambadi, the university’s president, in the announcement. “Our new campus in India signifies a significant opportunity to further that noble mission in service of millions of talented young individuals across India, empowering them to become global leaders prepared to effect change.”
The establishment of university branch campuses abroad is a costly venture and necessitates a long-term perspective regarding the recovery of investment. However, as international students studying in the United States encounter increasing difficulties due to the unpredictable immigration policies of the Trump administration, offering U.S. diplomas offshore may be viewed as a strategy to navigate potential visa challenges.
A Strategic Move Amid Global Uncertainty
The United States remains the premier destination for international studies, accommodating a record 1.12 million international students who collectively contribute over $50 billion to the economy. Among this total, Indian students account for 331,602, representing the largest cohort from a single country and surpassing the number of students from China for the first time since 2009. One of the key factors driving U.S. universities to recruit students from India is the country’s substantial youth demographic, with individuals under 25 constituting nearly half of the total population of 1.43 billion.
Nevertheless, the United States’ capacity to maintain its appeal to a large influx of international students is currently under scrutiny. Following a series of international student visa cancellations by the Trump administration, which were later followed by efforts to reinstate the visas, university officials are concerned that trust in the U.S. as a preferred study destination has diminished. There are already signs that interest from international students in the U.S.—as well as in other English-speaking countries facing stricter visa policies—is declining.
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Other U.S. universities are strengthening their connections with India. In November of the previous year, Purdue University revealed a partnership aimed at creating new centers for education and semiconductor excellence in India. As stated in the announcement, these initiatives “will create a presence for Purdue University in India, establishing the foundation for joint degree programs in high-demand areas such as artificial intelligence, data science, semiconductors, and business.”
Similarly, U.K. universities are also launching branch campuses in India, with the University of Southampton inaugurating a campus in a satellite city of Delhi, while Queens University Belfast (QUB) plans to set up a campus in GIFT City, a hub for business and technology. According to The Guardian, QUB anticipates that the construction of the branch campus will require an investment of £5 million to £7 million, which is roughly equivalent to $6.25 million to $8.75 million.
Universities Broaden Their Global Presence, Yet Challenges Persist
The development at Illinois Tech comes in the wake of announcements from various other U.S. universities that are similarly expanding their global presence. In January, Georgetown University introduced a new Georgetown SFS Asia Pacific program at a newly established “facility” in Jakarta, Indonesia, while in April, the University of New Haven revealed plans to establish a campus in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, by the fall of 2026. This campus will offer instruction through three colleges and is expected to accommodate 13,000 undergraduate and graduate students.
“The University of New Haven takes pride in having actively supported higher education in Saudi Arabia for more than twenty years, both within the Kingdom and at our Connecticut campus,” stated University of New Haven President Jens Frederiksen, Ph.D., in the announcement.
New York University is recognized as a pioneer in the establishment of international campuses, having developed a worldwide network that includes degree-granting locations in Abu Dhabi, which welcomed its first class in 2010, and another in Shanghai in collaboration with East China Normal University, which commenced operations a few years later.
In addition to NYU, several other American institutions have also embarked on the creation of overseas campuses, such as Georgetown, Northwestern University, and Carnegie Mellon University, all of which maintain campuses in Qatar, as well as Stony Brook University, which has a campus located in South Korea.
Nevertheless, there exists a possibility of disruption in the establishment of these international outposts. In a letter dated May 14, leaders of a House committee urged Duke University to terminate Duke Kunshan University, a collaborative campus with Wuhan University in China, citing national security concerns. Duke Kunshan was founded in September 2013 and welcomed its first undergraduate class in 2018. As of fall 2024, it has enrolled a record-high class of nearly 500 students, bringing total enrollment to over 2,200 students.
Source: Forbes
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