For time immemorial, the formula for an Indian student seeking high quality global education has been fairly straightforward: finish school, pack a suitcase and leave the country.
Australia, the UK, the US and Canada are sought-after destinations for Indian students looking for international degrees and the opportunities that come with them.
But what if the international university came to India instead? Victoria University Delhi Campus
That is the proposition behind Victoria University’s new Delhi NCR campus, which has just welcomed its first undergraduate students, and is attempting to bring an Australian university experience to India without requiring students to leave home.
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Victoria University India commenced academic operations on August 26, welcoming its inaugural undergraduate cohort at its Gurugram campus. The postgraduate cohort is due to begin on September 28, following approval from India’s University Grants Commission to operationalise the campus.
For Abhishek Sharma, Chief Operating Officer of Victoria University India, the early response from students has already challenged some expectations.
“The biggest surprise has been the clarity and intent of the students,” he tells Indian Link. “They are highly focused on careers, industry exposure, outcomes and global opportunities.”
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A new learning model
The Block Model is one of the most distinctive features VU is bringing from Australia.
Rather than studying several subjects simultaneously, students focus on one subject at a time through intensive learning blocks and continuous assessment. It is a significant departure from the way many Indian students are accustomed to organising their university education.
Yet VU say they have retained the core model for India.
“Students continue to study one subject at a time through intensive teaching and continuous assessment,” Sharma says. “We have seen Indian students adapt to the Block Model much faster than expected.”
The adjustment, he says, has been less about changing the model and more about helping students adapt to a different style of learning.
The university is also looking beyond academic performance to determine whether the model works in India.
Pass rates will be one measure, but VU plans to track student engagement, wellbeing and employability, as well as internship conversion, industry project outcomes, placement quality, research partnerships and industry collaborations. Victoria University Delhi Campus
That focus on outcomes reflects another part of VU India’s proposition: the university wants students to connect what happens inside the classroom with the Indian workplace from the beginning of their degrees.
The Gurugram campus sits within a corporate and startup ecosystem, and Sharma says industry exposure will be built into the learning experience through live projects, startup interactions and case studies linked to the local business environment, ‘while maintaining the same academic standards, assessment rigour and governance as Melbourne.’
Melbourne, with an Indian context
VU is also developing partnerships with Australian companies operating in India as well as Indian consulting and technology firms across research, curriculum development, training and placements.
For students, however, the bigger question may be whether studying at an Indian campus can genuinely provide the same academic experience as studying at VU’s Melbourne campus.
The university’s answer is parity.
“The goal is for a student in Gurugram to receive the same academic standard and earn the same degree as a student in Melbourne, while also having an experience that reflects the Indian context,” Sharma notes.
The courses, curriculum, pedagogy, assessments and degree awarded are aligned with Melbourne, while the learning and student management systems also mirror those used there.
There is a physical link between the two campuses, too. Victoria University Delhi Campus
Around a third of teaching in India is delivered by VU Melbourne faculty, who travel to India to teach blocks or full semesters.
The faculty in Gurugram also brings together internationally experienced faculty and academics from Indian institutions such as IITs and IIMs.
“Melbourne faculty bring expertise in the Block Model and practice-oriented teaching, while Indian faculty contribute strong subject knowledge, research capability and local context,” Sharma says. “International faculty add perspectives from other education systems and markets.”
An international degree, closer to home
The aim, therefore, is not to create a carbon copy of Melbourne in India, but to combine VU’s academic framework with the environment in which Indian students will study and eventually build their careers.
That includes giving them access to the Indian economy while retaining a pathway to Australia.
Through VU’S Global Mobility program, students can pursue a semester exchange, transfer their undergraduate studies to Melbourne or progress from undergraduate studies in India to postgraduate programmes in Melbourne, subject to academic requirements and availability.
The proposition is particularly relevant to families who may want an international degree for their children but are not ready to send them overseas immediately after school.
“The strongest argument is the combination of an international degree, lower overall cost and continued access to opportunities within India,” Sharma explains. Victoria University Delhi Campus
Undergraduate fees at VU India are INR 11 lakh a year, or INR 8 lakh with the Block Model scholarship, for a three-year programme. More than 30 students from the inaugural undergraduate cohort received scholarships offering tuition fee waivers of up to INR 3 lakh each year for undergraduate and postgraduate programs.
For these students, the international experience does not have to begin with an international flight. And if they later want to experience Australia, the Melbourne pathways remain open. Victoria University Delhi Campus
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