Philip G. Altbach, research professor and distinguished fellow, Center for International Higher Education, Boston College

Indian higher education has suddenly become “hot” with delegations of global university leaders and politicians flocking to the country, the latest from Australia. Governments and universities from around the world are signing memoranda of understanding with Indian counterparts and making ambitious plans for research collaboration, joint degrees and other initiatives. Recent regulations for setting up international branch campuses in Gujarat and the interest expressed by some foreign universities in doing this, is the latest trend.

But while there is enthusiasm, little is known about the realities of Indian higher education. It is worth looking at some of the challenges that will confront international partners in India.

Populism and politics. Indian higher education exists in a highly toxic political and societal environment — as is the case in many countries — and this has fundamental implications for how academic institutions from other countries should weigh possible collaboration and involvement. A few examples illustrate the point. The ruling BJP government’s hindutva ideology and especially its anti-Muslim rhetoric and activism is a hindrance to global collaboration. Indeed, reports of threats to academic freedom are common. These reports include government interference that led to the resignation of eminent professor Pratap Bhanu Mehta, from the private Ashoka University.

Complexity and bureaucracy. India has one of the most complicated higher education systems in the world. Most undergraduate students study in private colleges of diverse quality. Of the 1,057 universities that mostly offer postgrad programs, around 450 are private. Most higher education institutions are under the jurisdiction of India’s 28 state governments. The best quality public universities and research institutes — 7 percent of the total — are Central government institutions. There is also a small recently-established high prestige private universities sector. For quality assurance, there is a complex arrangement through the National Assessment and Accreditation Council and National Board of Accreditation. But only a small minority of institutions have volunteered for accreditation.

India is known for its complex bureaucracy — inherited from British colonialism and ingrained in independent India. Rules and regulations, often inconsistently and slowly applied, cover many aspects of higher education. The Constitution of India allows both the Central and state governments to enact laws relating to the higher education sector, often leading to confrontation.

Underfunding. Central and state government institutions have been dramatically underfunded for decades. Much of the significant expansion of recent years has been in undergrad colleges that don’t receive direct government funding. The private university sector has been witnessing significant growth in recent years. But most of them are only “big colleges” in terms of student enrolment and physical infrastructure. The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 promises a major infusion of funds for higher education and research, but significant allocations haven’t yet been distributed.

Good but not great. While India wants to partner with world-class universities in other countries, it cannot claim to have any world-class universities of its own — at least as measured by Times Higher Education Rankings 2023. India’s highest ranked university is the Indian Institute of Science, ranked in the 251-300 band. Another 75 universities are included in the rankings but far down in the global league table.

From the perspective of overseas universities seeking partners in India, a rough estimate of appropriate partner Indian universities may be around 50. It is important to plan both an institution-specific and department-specific strategy for identifying potential partners in India.

The academic profession. At the heart of university quality and culture is the professoriate. The Indian academic profession is perennially troubled. Subject to strict bureaucratic rules, with many staff subject to extensive teaching responsibilities at the undergraduate level and often lacking adequate facilities to teach STEM subjects, the profession now faces significant shortages. An estimated 33 percent of the 18,905 academic positions in Central universities were vacant last year — and the situation is worse in state institutions.

Internationalisation. NEP 2020 has placed considerable emphasis on internationalisation, especially on increasing the small number of international students in India, as well as building links and programs with top-ranking foreign universities. But the fact is that India has never had an international academic strategy and has been a largely closed system. The infrastructure and policies necessary for effective internationalisation are lacking.

These developments are encouraging and discouraging. The Central government’s International Financial Services Centres Authority (Setting up and Operation of International Branch Campuses and Offshore Education Centres) 2022 law allows Top 500 universities and “other foreign institutions” to establish campuses and offer programs in financial management, fintech, science, technology, engineering and mathematics in GIFT City, Gujarat. These regulations allow foreign campuses to be established on that specific site.

In sum, the global academic community will need to carefully examine the realities of Indian higher education before pursuing involvement with the world’s second largest academic system.

Also read: Global private higher education revolution