India is poised to become the most strategically important destination globally for the expansion of international higher education, driven by a once-in-a-generation convergence of policy reform, demographic scale and urban readiness, according to a new joint report by Knight Frank India, Deloitte India and QS Quacquarelli Symonds.
Titled India’s 155 Million Student Mandate, the report highlights that India is home to the world’s largest 18–23 age cohort, with nearly 155 million young adults, and is transitioning from a traditional outbound student market to a core geography for offshore university campuses. Enabled by the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and subsequent regulatory frameworks, global universities are now increasingly viewing India not just as a source of students, but as a destination for long-term academic presence.
The study underscores that while regulatory approval is a necessary first step, the long-term success of foreign universities in India will be determined by city-level readiness, encompassing connectivity, industry depth, socio-economic maturity and real estate scalability. India’s higher education opportunity, the report notes, is polycentric rather than uniform, with select Tier-1 cities acting as immediate anchor markets and Tier-2 cities emerging as strategic frontiers for future expansion.
Using a proprietary multi-criteria assessment framework, the report evaluates 40 Tier-1 and Tier-2 Indian cities, identifying Delhi NCR, Bengaluru and Mumbai as the strongest anchor markets due to their global connectivity, deep industry ecosystems and mature commercial real estate. At the same time, cities such as Chandigarh Tricity, Kochi and Goa stand out as high-potential frontiers, offering scalability, cost efficiency and suitability for residential or research-led campus formats.
The report correlates the framework findings with insights from QS Best Student Cities 2026 and the QS International Student Survey 2025. This data shows that India’s global attractiveness is rising rapidly among students, with consistent improvements across Indian cities in employability and affordability—two of the most critical decision factors for students globally. These Tier-1 and Tier-2 cities now offer the ability to deliver globally benchmarked degrees at a fraction of the cost of traditional education destinations, without compromising on career outcomes or industry exposure.
Shishir Baijal, International Partner, Chairman & Managing Director, Knight Frank India “India’s higher education opportunity must be understood through the lens of cities and real estate. Policy enables entry, but it is spatial strategy that determines success. Campus location, infrastructure quality and access to scalable, institutional-grade real estate are now fundamental to academic excellence, student experience and long-term sustainability. Global universities that approach India with a city-led, phased real estate strategy will be best positioned to build enduring academic presence.”
Sahil Gupta, Partner, Deloitte India “India represents a prudent and strategic response to the global headwinds facing international higher education today. Tightening visa regimes, rising costs and demographic stagnation in traditional markets are accelerating institutional mobility. India offers a rare combination of regulatory clarity, demographic depth and economic momentum, but long-term viability will depend on how effectively institutions align student aspirations, industry ecosystems and infrastructure readiness at a city level.”
Dr. Ashwin Fernandes, Chair, QS India & Vice President, Strategic & International Engagement, QS Quacquarelli Symonds “Global universities are increasingly recognising India as a destination where scale, affordability and employability converge. Our student surveys and city rankings show that Indian cities are rapidly improving in global perception, driven by strong career outcomes and value for money. When combined with policy reform and urban readiness, this creates a compelling case for India to emerge as one of the world’s most influential higher education hubs.”
A key finding of the report is the critical role of real estate and urban infrastructure in shaping academic outcomes. Campus location, accessibility, availability of institutional-grade space, and proximity to industry clusters directly influence student experience, faculty attraction, operational efficiency and long-term institutional sustainability. Based on projected enrolment trends, the vertical campus requirement for foreign higher education institutions in India is estimated to reach 19 million square feet by 2040.
a city playbook: Ecosystem readiness assessment for hosting offshore campuses
The report highlights that Indian cities play distinct and differentiated roles in shaping the success of offshore university campuses, rather than functioning as interchangeable destinations. City choice directly influences enrolment potential, academic relevance, faculty attraction, operational resilience and long-term scalability. While Tier-1 cities provide immediate scale, global alignment and execution certainty, Tier-2 cities offer strategic advantages in terms of expansion efficiency, capital discipline and specialised campus formats. As a result, a one-size-fits-all approach to market entry is neither viable nor sustainable in the Indian context.
Tier-1 cities such as Delhi-NCR, Bengaluru and Mumbai emerge as immediate anchor markets, offering dense industry and research ecosystems, strong international connectivity and mature infrastructure that support rapid deployment of flagship campuses and high-visibility academic presence. In contrast, select Tier-2 cities including Chandigarh Tricity, Kochi and Goa present compelling opportunities as strategic frontiers, characterised by the availability of contiguous land parcels, lower operating costs and suitability for phased, discipline-led or residential campus models. Together, this tiered city strategy enables global universities to balance speed-to-market with long-term scalability, tailoring campus formats to each city’s unique socio-economic and infrastructure profile.
Findings from the QS Best Student Cities 2026 and the QS International Student Survey 2025 underscore India’s rising competitiveness as a global higher education destination, particularly across employability and affordability, two of the most decisive factors for international students. All four Indian cities featured in the rankings—Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Chennai—recorded significant improvements in their global positions, signalling growing international confidence in India’s education and career ecosystem.
The findings indicate that Delhi featured in the global top 50 cities for employer activity. Notably, it also led global rankings on cost competitiveness among all cities. Mumbai re-entered the global top 100, benefitting from strong employer recognition and global exposure, while Bengaluru and Chennai posted some of the sharpest gains globally in employer activity, reflecting strong industry demand for graduate talent. Compared with traditional international study destinations such as London, New York and Sydney—which have seen declining rankings due to rising costs and affordability pressures—Indian cities are gaining ground by offering globally benchmarked education at a fraction of the cost, combined with strong post-study employment prospects. This convergence of value, employability and scale positions India not merely as an alternative to established education hubs, but as a next-generation global education destination.
The report concludes that India is no longer an ‘emerging option’ but a strategic imperative for global universities planning their 2030–2050 internationalisation strategies. Institutions that align academic strengths with India’s urban ecosystems, student aspirations and real estate realities stand to benefit from long-term scale, resilience and relevance in a rapidly evolving global education landscape.
