(From left) Philip Green OAM, Australian High Commissioner to India; Professor Payyazhi Vadakkekara Jayashree, Rector, UNSW Bengaluru; Professor Attila Brungs, Vice-Chancellor and President, UNSW Sydney; Hon’ble Julian Hill MP, Australia’s Assistant Minister for International Education; and MB Patil, Minister for Large and Medium Industries and Infrastructure Development, Government of Karnataka, unveiling the commemorative plaque, formally marking the opening of the campus.
Australia’s University of New South Wales (UNSW) has launched its first international campus in India, with academic operations set to begin next week from its Bengaluru campus at Manyata Business Park. The university will start with a small inaugural batch of about 90-100 students but plans to gradually scale enrolment to 4,000-5,000 over time, while retaining its industry-integrated learning model.The campus, which will initially offer four programmes, marks the first Australian Group of Eight university to establish a campus in India. Speaking to businessline, Professor Attila Brungs, Vice-Chancellor and President, UNSW Sydney, said the university had intentionally kept the first cohort small to ensure students receive the same industry-connected experience as those studying in Australia.Brungs said, “We wanted to keep the initial enrolments very, very small... with an absolute maximum of about 30 per course.”He added that the university aims to eventually grow the campus to 4,000-5,000 students but would do so “slowly and methodically” while expanding research capabilities, teaching expertise and industry partnerships.Unlike a traditional standalone university campus, UNSW has chosen to locate its India campus within Manyata Business Park to embed students within Bengaluru’s technology ecosystem.The university has already partnered with Deloitte and is in discussions with more companies to expand industry collaborations. Beyond the initial four programmes, UNSW is evaluating new offerings, including an MBA, engineering and additional master’s programmes based on industry demand.The curriculum will initially focus on artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, digital technologies, advanced manufacturing and sustainability, in line with NEP 2020 priorities and future workforce requirements.Industry engagement will remain central to the student experience, with internships and live projects embedded throughout the programme.“We’ll have industry projects that our students will work on. We’ll have industry placements all the way through... Our director here has a target of 100 per cent employment when they’re leaving here,” Brungs said.To ensure parity with its Sydney campus, faculty recruited for Bengaluru are being trained in Australia before joining the Indian campus.“A number of the academics who have started here have already been based in Sydney for a while, getting training... Every time we get a new academic start in Bengaluru, they’ll spend some time in UNSW,” he said.The university is also working on an exchange programme that will allow students to complete part of their studies in India and part in Australia, although the details are still being finalised.Meanwhile, Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar said the campus would strengthen the State’s position as a global technology and innovation hub by creating new opportunities for students, researchers and industry through collaborative research and world-class education.Published on July 31, 2026
