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In India, the rules of the game for international university campuses are changing: a name or brand alone is no longer enough — what comes to the fore are real student outcomes, industry connections, and how deeply the institution is embedded in the local economy and labor market.
Research from Acumen Foundation — Signals from K-12 and Signals from Employers — is based on responses from 100+ employers and 250+ schools across India. They reflect an important point: the country is actively developing transnational education, and in the coming years new international universities that have already received preliminary permits to open campuses may enter its territory.
Market expectations turn out to be very pragmatic. Among employers, only 16% are well familiar with the format of international campuses, another 41% have heard about them but do not understand the details. At the same time, nearly 7 in 10 companies are confident that such campuses can improve graduate preparation, provided that the studying is based on a practice-oriented approach and programs linked to real industry challenges. In fact, employers are paying less and less attention to the prestige of a university's name — a different question is becoming much more important: how ready are graduates to work immediately after completing their studies.
In-demand fields were also discussed separately: artificial intelligence and Data Science lead — cited by 79% of companies — followed by business and management (54%), cybersecurity (40%), and finance and fintech (35%).
Another key finding from the research: Indian business wants to be involved in creating educational programs from the very start. 86% of employers believe that collaboration should begin at the course development stage, including program structure, requirements for faculty, and the formation of study groups — not be limited to internships or final employment.
Against this backdrop, it becomes clear: the future of international campuses in India will depend not on high-profile announcements, but on how deeply they can build collaboration with employers and schools, and whether the education will truly prepare students for real professional life.
