Gandhinagar: The University of Wollongong (UOW) Australia today unveiled its UOW India identity at the Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City), Gandhinagar, making headway to become one of the first foreign universities to have an International Branch Campus (IBC) in India.

UOW’s Global Brand Ambassador and renowned cricketer Adam Gilchrist as well as the University’s Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Patricia M. Davidson were present at the occasion. The Indian identity depicts the University’s commitment to the country and is a stepping stone for setting up the UOW GIFT City teaching base, which is soon set to offer Australian degrees to Indians, said an official statement.

Gilchrist and other UOW officials earlier visited Jamnabai Narsee School in GIFT City, where the superstar Australian cricketer played a game of cricket with school students and presented them autographed cricket bats.

The University, which has a strong global presence, has been successfully operating campuses in Australia, Dubai, Malaysia and Hong Kong. It will commence its India operations in 2024 with a Graduate Certificate in Computing and a Masters in Computing (Data Analytics), followed by other undergraduate programs.

UOW and Deakin University are the two Australian universities granted approval by the International Financial Services Centre Authorities (IFSCA) to establish international campuses within GIFT City. UOW aims to commence its GIFT City campus in July 2024 with an initial enrollment of 500 students, with a primary focus on finance and business, as it seeks to leverage the opportunities for work and learning within GIFT City, according to Professor Davidson.

She explained, “Our curriculum will align with the infrastructure available in GIFT City, so many of our courses will revolve around fintech, computing, and a diverse range of accounting subjects.” Professor Davidson also highlighted one of the university’s key advantages, its global network of institutions, which has already been demonstrated in finance courses where students from Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, Malaysia, and other locations collaborate in a global context.

Given the presence of several prominent institutions and stock exchanges within GIFT City, Professor Davidson stated that students would find placement opportunities there. She added, “These placements will be situated within GIFT City, and we have engaged in preliminary discussions with many major institutions and stock exchanges that are eager to welcome our students.”

The university has decided to set its fees at 50 percent of the costs incurred by international students studying at UOW’s Australian campus. Admission eligibility criteria will mirror those of Australia, according to Professor Davidson. Additionally, the university announced the establishment of the Tat Capital – UOW Global Finance Centre of Excellence, in collaboration with Tat Capital, an Indian-Australian corporate advisory firm, as per an official release. DeshGujarat