Coming soon: Tamil Nadu's first international university campus in Chennai

CHENNAI: Among the agreements that the Tamil Nadu government’s nodal agency, Guidance Tamil Nadu, signed on Thursday (July 30), one stood out. It was not in the field of electronics, engineering, or manufacturing, but one that would prepare skilled people to power these sectors: The deal was with the University of Western Australia to set up its Chennai campus, which will be the State’s first international university campus, and is expected to be inaugurated soon.

The university, which formally entered the State in 2025, will start its MBA programme in November, while the other courses are expected to commence from March 2027. It has invested around Rs 125 crore to set up the campus at Velachery, creating more than 200 jobs.

COURSES ON OFFER

The University of Western Australia, or UWA, is ranked among the top 100 universities in the world in the QS 2027 rankings. It has planned two campuses in India, one in Chennai and another in Mumbai. UWA will offer five undergraduate programmes at its Chennai campus. These are Economics, AI, Data Science, Computer Science, Business Management. It will also offer Master of Information Technology and MBA.

In a statement issued earlier, the university said it was working closely with the University Grants Commission (UGC) to secure necessary approvals for its campuses and courses, and would start classes after obtaining the clearances from the regulatory body.

SCHOLARSHIPS FOR STUDENTS

It offers several scholarships and bursaries, which, it claims, are designed to recognise academic achievement, support talented students, and provide financial assistance across all courses.

“Most scholarships are assessed automatically as part of [the] application to study at UWA India and do not require a separate application. For select scholarships, additional documentation or criteria may apply,” it said, adding that eligible students are automatically assessed when they submit admission applications.

For instance, separate applications are not required for Early Bird Enrolment Bursary, UWA India Fee Waiver, Tamil Nadu UWA Bursary (Chennai campus), and Maharashtra UWA Bursary (Mumbai campus).

Students must submit an admission application and then apply separately for these scholarships: Premier Academic Award (Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu), Academic Merit Award, and Vice-Chancellor High-Merit Award.

FEES, SEATS, CAMPUS IN CHENNAI

While the statement from the Tamil Nadu government on Thursday did not offer much information into the size and scope of UWA’s Chennai campus, an earlier news report said it would be spread across 50,000 sq ft at DLF Cybercity.

The report said it will start with an intake of 300 students, with annual fees expected to be around AUD 25,000 (approximately Rs 16.69 lakh.