Coventry University is set to become the first English university to be granted a licence to open a campus in India’s new GIFT City.
The branch campus will be at the heart of the smart city in the Indian state of Gujarat and could see the first students enrolled and learning in 2026.
Two courses will initially be launched at Coventry University GIFT City – a BSc Honours in International Business Management and BSc Honours in Business and Finance – with plans to add further courses in the future.
The new campus, which has been given in-principle approval by the International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA), would add to Coventry University Group’s current presence in the country following the opening of the Group’s India Hub in New Delhi earlier this year.
It also brings the level of planned investment by partners in the university’s branch and branded campuses around the world over the last five years to £1 billion. This includes campuses in Egypt, Morocco, China, Kazakhstan, Singapore and now India.
The approval was officially announced at the 13th UK-India Economic and Financial Dialogue (EFD) which took place on 9 April at the London Stock Exchange where guests and speakers included the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, the Governor of the Bank of England, Andrew Bailey, and the Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
“We were part of a universities delegation, organised by the UK Government’s Department for Business and Trade (DBT), that visited GIFT City in 2023 and want to thank the DBT and the British Council for their support in helping our GIFT City campus come to life. GIFT City will bring the investment by our various partners into Coventry University branded or branch campuses to £1 billion in just five years which is a massive vote of confidence in us and the value of quality UK higher education,” said Professor John Latham CBE, Vice-Chancellor of Coventry University and Group CEO. Lindy Cameron CB OBE, British High Commissioner to India added,” It is great to see Coventry University coming to GIFT City, an important global financial centre. The UK-India education partnership adds immense value to both our countries and is crucial to building modern, forward-looking connections between our people.”
