University of New South Wales (UNSW) to Open International Campus in Bengaluru by August 2026

The University of New South Wales (UNSW), one of Australia’s leading and globally ranked universities, has formally announced plans to establish a full-scale international campus in Bengaluru, India, with operations slated to begin by August 2026. The initiative represents a significant milestone in transnational education and reflects deepening academic and institutional collaborations between India and Australia.

The agreement establishing the Bengaluru campus was formalized through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) exchanged at a ceremony held at Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru. UNSW Vice-Chancellor Professor Attila Brungs and S. Selvakumar, Principal Secretary of the Karnataka Industries Department, signed the document in the presence of M.B. Patil, the Minister for Large and Medium Industries, and Dr. M.C. Sudhakar, the Karnataka Higher Education Minister.

The new campus will be located in Manyata Tech Park, a major technology and innovation hub in northern Bengaluru. Its strategic placement is intended to leverage proximity to leading technology firms and startups, offering students enhanced opportunities for industry engagement, internships, and employment exposure. According to government officials, this industry linkage will be integral to the campus experience, supporting skill-oriented learning that aligns with workforce demands.

At launch, UNSW Bengaluru will offer a selection of undergraduate programmes in fields including commerce, media, computer science, and data science, as well as a postgraduate programme in cybersecurity. The curriculum at the Bengaluru campus will be directly overseen by UNSW’s Academic Council to ensure consistency with the academic standards and quality of the parent institution in Sydney. Degrees conferred will mirror those offered on the main campus, maintaining global recognition and academic equivalence.

The Karnataka Higher Education Minister highlighted that the campus is expected to strengthen Bengaluru’s innovation ecosystem by integrating international education with local industry needs. Officials also noted that UNSW plans additional expansion within the region, including a future campus component at the developing KWIN (Knowledge, Wellbeing, and Innovation) City near Bengaluru.

This development is positioned within the framework of an ongoing India-Australia education and research cooperation programme for 2025–30, which aims to enhance bilateral academic ties, student mobility, and research collaboration. UNSW already maintains significant institutional links with prominent Indian organizations including the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIMB), Indian Institute of Science (IISc), and various government ministries, which underscores the depth of academic engagement anticipated through this new campus.

The decision by UNSW to invest in a major campus overseas is part of a broader global strategy to expand access to its highly ranked educational offerings. UNSW consistently performs within the top 20 universities globally in major world rankings and has prioritized international impact and research excellence in strategic planning. The Bengaluru campus will thus offer Indian students direct access to world-class tertiary education without the need to relocate abroad.

Overall, the establishment of UNSW Bengaluru is a landmark event for the Indian higher education landscape, signaling growing demand for international academic partnerships and reaffirming Bengaluru’s role as a global hub for innovation and learning.