The University of Western Australia (UWA) on Friday formally opened its Mumbai campus, marking a significant milestone in India-Australia higher education ties and making it the first Australian Group of Eight (Go8) university to establish a campus in India.
The campus in Andheri East was inaugurated in the presence of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Western Australia Premier Roger Cook, alongside UWA leadership. The opening marks UWA’s first international branch campus and its entry into India’s rapidly expanding higher education and skills ecosystem.
For Maharashtra, the arrival of the Perth-based university comes as Mumbai seeks to strengthen its position as a global education, technology and innovation hub. The campus is located close to Mumbai’s corporate, financial and technology ecosystem, with access to the airport and Metro network.
Welcoming UWA to the state, the CM said the university’s presence would add to Mumbai’s growing global education profile.
“This campus reinforces Mumbai's position as a global centre for education, business and innovation and gives our young people access to a globally recognised education,” Fadnavis said.
“We look forward to UWA becoming an important part of our education ecosystem and creating new opportunities for students, institutions and industries.”
The opening also underlines the growing education and economic relationship between Maharashtra and Western Australia. Western Australia has maintained a presence in Mumbai for three decades, with ties spanning people, knowledge, skills, technology and business.
Roger Cook, Premier of Western Australia, said the Mumbai campus represented a tangible expression of the relationship between the two regions.
“The opening of UWA’s Mumbai campus marks a significant milestone in Western Australia’s growing relationship with India and Maharashtra,” Cook said.
“Western Australia has maintained a presence in Mumbai for 30 years – that relationship is deeply rooted in people, knowledge, skills, technology and shared opportunity.”
“UWA’s Mumbai campus is a tangible expression of that relationship, bringing the expertise and global outlook of a Western Australian university to Maharashtra while creating new opportunities for students, businesses and institutions in both India and WA,” he said.
UWA Vice-Chancellor Professor Amit Chakma said the launch was significant not only for the university but also for the broader Australia-India relationship.
“India is one of the world’s fastest-growing economies and is investing heavily in education, innovation and research,” Chakma said.
“Establishing campuses in India allows us to bring our globally recognised education closer to students, strengthen research and industry partnerships, and support the growing Australia-India relationship.”
UWA has said it has self-funded the two Indian campuses with an initial investment of A$80 million. Its immediate focus, according to Chakma, is to build a student experience that combines UWA’s academic and global strengths with opportunities available in India.
“Most importantly, it is about creating new opportunities for students, giving them access to a globally recognised UWA education while they remain connected to the opportunities, communities and aspirations of India,” he said.
The Mumbai campus features technology-enabled classrooms, project and innovation spaces, group-work areas, student hubs and collaboration facilities. Students will also have opportunities for industry engagement through projects, internships, mentoring and networking, backed by career coaching and employer engagement.
The academic offering spans undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in areas closely linked to emerging economic sectors.
These include computer science, cybersecurity, data science and artificial intelligence, business management, global business, enterprise and innovation, as well as MBA and Master of Information Technology programmes.
The move follows UWA’s receipt of the University Grants Commission’s Letter of Approval for its Mumbai campus. UWA had earlier become the first Australian Go8 university to receive recognition to establish international branch campuses in India under the framework of the National Education Policy 2020.
UWA’s expansion comes at a time when India is seeking to internationalise its higher education sector and attract reputed global institutions through the NEP 2020 framework. The university already has partnerships with Indian universities, businesses, and government organisations in areas including artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, critical minerals, technology, research and innovation.
The Mumbai campus is the first of UWA’s two Indian campuses to commence operations. A second campus is planned in Chennai, further expanding the university’s engagement with the Indian education and industry ecosystem.
For students, the Mumbai campus offers the prospect of studying for an Australian university degree without leaving India, while remaining connected to the country’s expanding corporate and technology landscape.
