With Australia's Deakin University inaugurating the GIFT City campus on Wednesday, the first day of the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit (VGGS) 2024, the varsity said it has been receiving an "encouraging response" from aspirants. More than 500 applications have been received in 10 days for 100 seats of the two masters programmes being offered by the varsity. It is the first foreign university to set up an international branch campus at GIFT City. The inauguration of the GIFT City campus took place during the 10th Edition of the VGGS 2024 where Australian High Commissioner Philip Green is leading a 90-member delegation, including representatives from 36 Australian universities. "Over 500 applications in the first 10 days is an immensely encouraging response to the University," Ravneet Pawha, Deakin University vice-president (Global Alliances) and CEO (South Asia), told The Indian Express in an exclusive conversation. Last month, the university launched the application process for its two postgraduate programmes — Masters in Cybersecurity (professional) and Masters in Business Analytics. The classes start in July at an annual course fee of AUD 19,000 (Rs 10.7 lakh). Both courses are to cater to 50 students each. Pawha said that the applications were not restricted just to Gujarat. "Less than 20 per cent of these applications are from Gujarat. rest are from all across the states including Karnataka, Chennai, and Andhra Pradesh among others." Further, the university has also received applications from aspirants having work experience. "Nearly 15 per cent of these (aspirants) have a work experience of 1-3 years, " she added. Speaking about the admission criteria, University Chancellor John Stanhope told The Indian Express, "The selection process will be stringent. Other than the language requirement (for English), applicants' CAT (Common Admission Test) score will also be considered in addition to the interview round." Stanhope added that the pick for the post of university director will soon be announced as the hiring process is almost complete. The recruitment for two out of a total of 18 academic staff members is already done. The staff members will be required to undergo training sessions in Australia. The 25,000 sq ft campus of Deakin University boasts of creating a space for integrating academic and business pursuits. While the ground floor would have dedicated spaces for industry partners, start-ups, and entrepreneurs, the top floor would be the dedicated university campus with learning spaces. The University of Wollongong, another Australian university coming up at GIFT City, will open its applications for a Masters in Computing (Data Analytics) programme in January while an undergraduate programme in computing will be launched in 2025. “Australia setting up India’s first ever foreign university campus is a landmark moment in Australia-India relations. This process will go on. There are more to come. The fact that the Indian government in its wisdom has allowed foreign branch campuses to open campuses not just here in GIFT City but across the country is an issue of very wide interest in the Australian India academic community. I assure you that there will be more Australia in India in education space,” High Commissioner Green stated during his address at the inauguration event at the India campus in GIFT City in Gandhinagar on Wednesday evening. Prof Iain Martin, Vice Chancellor of Deakin University, also represented Australia, in a CEO roundtable with Prime Minister Narendra Modi before the inauguration. “Steadfast in our promise to give back to the community and change lives, two fully funded scholarships will be awarded to economically challenged students, underlining Deakin’s commitment to foster educational equity and nurture local talent,” Prof Martin added. The campus will also serve as a start-up incubator, nurturing entrepreneurial talent and innovation with specialised short courses and extensive support to elevate the regional startup landscape. Following the launch, Deakin University kickstarted its industry engagements with the inaugural 'Deakin University x IABCA leadership Roundtable'. The event brought together prominent figures from both Indian and Australian governments and industries for a participative dialogue on 'Building Sustainable Futures across the Australia-India Corridor', setting the stage for a series of strategic dialogues and partnerships for shared progress. Priced at around Rs 21 lakh for the two-year course (fast-tracked to 18 months), the programme will be delivered by local and international staff, along with guest lecturers from leading industry figures, university officials stated.
