Gandhinagar: For the first time, a United Kingdom-based university will establish an offshore campus in Gujarat International Finance-Tec (GIFT) City. This university, Queen’s University Belfast, is in the process of setting up its campus in GIFT City, with the first cohort of students expected to begin in January 2026.

As of now, two Australian institutions, Deakin University and the University of Wollongong, are already operating in GIFT City. Meanwhile, it is learned that Queen’s University Belfast, founded in 1845, is awaiting in-principle approval from the International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA).

This university is set to establish the largest campus in GIFT City, featuring a 10-story building spanning 145,000 square feet.

The new international campus will offer a portfolio of five postgraduate programmes initially, tailored to the specific needs of the Indian economy. There are plans to increase the range of courses in the coming years and to welcome PhD students who will support the growth of the India campus into a hub for research and innovation.

The initial Master’s programs will focus on equipping students with high-demand skills in finance, technology, and business analytics. The plan is to start with 500 seats across seven Master’s programs, including MSc in Construction and Project Management, MSc in Business Analytics, MSc in Financial Analytics, MSc in Finance, and MSc in Leadership for Sustainable Development.

Two additional programs, MSc in Artificial Intelligence and MSc in Artificial Intelligence for Business, will be introduced in September 2026, according to Professor Margaret Topping, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Global Engagement. The annual tuition fee for a full program is set at £15,000, with a variety of scholarships and “value-added options” available. DeshGujarat