Chell Roberts, Dean of the Shiley-Marcos School of Engineering at the University of San Diego (USD), discusses the institution’s plans to enter India. While the university is primarily looking to establish an off-campus centre in GIFT City with an investment of nearly $5–10 million, it is also exploring alternative locations like Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Pune.
The University of San Diego has been exploring opportunities in India, particularly in GIFT City. Could you share an update on your plans?
GIFT City has been an exciting yet challenging opportunity for us. We were invited by the government to apply and were informed of our acceptance. However, entering GIFT City involves a complex legal and procedural process beyond just government approval.
We believe we now have the required programs that meet the highest rankings and are planning to re-engage in April with our business and law degrees. With the establishment of a new legal firm and support from the Tata Group, we are optimistic about successfully launching several programs in GIFT City, though not the full portfolio of programs.
By when do you expect to finalise the opportunity in GIFT City? Are you eyeing alternative approaches for expansion in India?
Yes, we are pursuing a dual approach. While we remain committed to entering GIFT City with select programs, we are also exploring partnerships with universities outside GIFT City to offer additional courses, and we plan to partner with one university in every State. In addition, we are offering students a twinning program where students can start their coursework at an Indian university and later transfer to USD, or complete their degree in India while following USD’s curriculum and academic standards.
We expect to finalise our opportunities in GIFT City as well as legal entity partnerships outside it by April.
What would the pricing model for programs look like?
We are trying to do three different pricing models. The most expensive would be to complete the degree from the U.S. The second would be the twinning degree, and the least expensive is to do it all in India and get the same quality of education.
What would the placement scenario look like for students choosing USD’s India campus? Are you exploring partnerships with Indian companies?
Since we are new in India, we are still building our placement network. However, we have strong industry partnerships in the U.S. with companies like Cisco, Caterpillar, and Qualcomm. Cisco India has confirmed that it will accept our students. We also have a relationship with Adani, mainly for executive education.
While you have finalised Gujarat, could you help us understand if you are still exploring other cities considering many cities in India are looking to attract foreign universities?
While Gujarat’s GIFT City is our primary focus, we are also considering other cities. Many locations in India have started offering similar trade-free zone opportunities. We have spent a lot of time exploring Hyderabad as an option, especially for its strong tech ecosystem. Similarily, we are exploring Bengaluru, Mumbai, Chennai, and Pune due to their strengths in engineering and business education.
If GIFT City works out, it will primarily house our MBA and legal programs, while engineering, AI, and data science programs might be better suited for Hyderabad, Bengaluru, or Pune. Ultimately, we aim to have a presence in multiple cities.
Published on February 18, 2025
