‘Same degree, same standards’: Liverpool V-C on new Bengaluru campus offering UK-equivalent courses

“It will be the same degree programmes that we’ll teach in Liverpool, so that standard will be very high,” he said. “We will be appointing a University of Liverpool provost who will oversee the campus and be responsible for academic quality.”

Why India and why now?

When asked why a globally ranked university would look eastward to India, Jones framed it as a natural evolution.

“We attract about 8,000 international students to the University of Liverpool. A significant number are Indian, about 1,000 postgraduates annually,” he said. “But we realise some students prefer to stay in India while receiving a high-quality global education.”

When asked if this would discourage students aspiring to study abroad, in the UK or other destinations, Jones clarified that the University of Liverpool sees the India campus as serving a different demographic.

“Those students who want to spend three years in Liverpool, we’ll still want them to do that,” he said. “But we’re catering for a group of students who want a more local, high-quality education.”

On regulatory hurdles, Jones said the approval process with the University Grants Commission (UGC) was fair and efficient.

“The whole process, from application to approval, took only a few months,” he explained. “There was an interview as part of that process. It was proportionate, with appropriate due diligence by the Indian government.”

“However, the idea of setting up a campus in India has been in the works for some time now,” he added. “Over the past year or so, we’ve been in discussions with a wide range of partners to truly understand how to make this successful.”

More than 50 foreign universities have reportedly applied to open campuses in India since the policy door was opened. Liverpool is among the earliest to secure final approval.

“We’re committed to delivering a truly global university experience here in India,” Jones concluded. “And we’re excited for what the future holds.”

Faculty members will be sourced locally

When international universities expand, one of the biggest challenges is ensuring consistent academic standards and faculty excellence across campuses. Asked whether the university would fly in professors from the UK campus or hire locally, the vice-chancellor said that there would be a blended model, one that prioritises Indian academic talent. But at the same time, there will be faculty from the Liverpool campus.

“We want more professors locally, more academic staff, local staff,” said Jones. “We will have some people from Liverpool itself, but that will be quite a small proportion of the overall staffing.”

This is not the first overseas campus that the university has established. Founded nearly two decades ago in 2006, the Xi’an Jiaotong – Liverpool University (XJTLU) is now one of the leading universities in China.

According to the vice-chancellor, the university campus in Bengaluru aims to replicate the successful transnational model used in its China joint venture. XJTLU in Suzhou now hosts over 27,000 students. However, the India campus will be a fully independent Liverpool entity, supported by Indian operational partners, specific details of which will be announced over the next few months.

Will University of Liverpool degrees from its Bengaluru campus be recognised globally like UK degrees?

When asked if the degrees awarded in India will hold the same recognition globally, Jones was unequivocal. “Yes, the programmes will be the same,” he stated, “and there will also be opportunities for mobility for even those students who choose to study in Bangalore and then want to go to Liverpool.”

Much like the China campus, students at the university’s India campus may opt for transfer pathways or short-term mobility programmes. “We won’t necessarily use exactly the same model,” he clarified, “but over the course of the next few weeks and months, we’ll announce exactly how it’s going to work.”

What courses will launch soon after the Bengaluru campus opens?

Admissions are expected to begin in 2026 for a limited set of courses initially, focusing on high-demand areas like computer science, data science, AI, business management, accounting & finance, biomedical sciences, and games design.

“We’ll start with a relatively small number of degree programmes and grow the range each year,” Jones said, noting that both undergraduate and postgraduate offerings would be available. “We’re planning to grow to about 10,000 students in 10 years — 5,000 in five years.”

The campus will also include on-site student accommodation for those who require it, he clarified.

Placements and industry linkages

On job placements, Jones assured that the university would replicate its strong industry collaboration model from the UK. “We’ll work very closely with a whole range of employers,” he said. “We already have MOUs and are starting those relationships… but we also need to learn the local context. What happens in Liverpool won’t be exactly the same as what happens in Bangalore.”

The university has partnerships with companies like Unilever and AstraZeneca in the UK and is looking to forge similar ties in India. Collaborations with institutions like NIMHANS and AIIMS in Delhi are already underway in areas such as public health and oncology.

Affordability and fee structure

With rising concerns around the affordability of international education, especially in the UK and the US, the V-C acknowledged the pricing sensitivity in India.

“We’re fully aware of the concept. It’s a challenge everywhere,” Jones admitted. “We’ll announce the details of the fees in the next few weeks and months… and ensure people are aware of scholarships available well in time for applications.”

Sustainability and curriculum integration

Asked how the university is addressing the growing focus on sustainability, Jones said that it’s being integrated into every discipline. “Sustainability is now embedded more and more in all of our courses,” he said. “For instance, in computer science, AI uses tremendous amounts of energy. We need to educate computer scientists about those challenges.”

Standalone courses in sustainability exist, but the emphasis is on cross-curricular awareness, he said.

Sharing his long-term vision for the Bengaluru campus, Jones said in a separate conversation that the university aimed to build much more than just an academic outpost.

“The campus will have a strong research component. We will be connected to all the local companies, big companies, other organisations, the health organisations and so forth,” he said. “It will be a destination of choice for the best talent, whether it be students or staff, and people will be talking about it in a really positive way.”