Australian Education Minister Jason Clare is set to make key announcements for the upcoming Deakin University, the first foreign university to set up an international campus at GIFT City in Gandhinagar, on November 7. The announcements are expected to include the much-awaited fee structure for Indian students. In August, Australia's Deakin University had finalised its international campus plan – a 25,000 sq ft space to be developed as a platform for learning, working as well as networking. The hiring of administrative and academic staff as well formulating guidelines for enrolment for courses at university is underway. “There will be a formal announcement on the developments at Deakin University campus at GIFT City,” one of the university officials told The Indian Express. Regarding the fee structure, university authorities had earlier said that it is likely to be half of the existing fee being charged at the Australian campus. The announcements are expected to be made in the presence of prominent leaders from the federal and state governments of Australia and India, as well as top academia and industry representatives. The same evening, Clare will deliver the Australia India Institute’s Annual Oration in Gandhinagar, presenting a vision for education as a catalyst for nation-building and strengthening Australia-India relations. The Annual Oration has been delivered each year by prominent figures in the bilateral space, including former Secretary of Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Peter Varghese, and former Australian High Commissioner to India and New South Wales Premier, Barry O’Farrell. Deakin University will offer two postgraduate courses to students at the GIFT City campus – Masters in Cybersecurity (professional) and Masters in Business Analytics. Sixty students would be accommodated in each course from the June 2024 academic session.
