University of Sydney expands its education ties with India

The University of Sydney has expanded ties with India in a new partnership to offer students study opportunities in both countries.

University of Sydney vice-chancellor Mark Scott said that, post-Covid, it was more important that ever to offer students immersive international experiences. Photo: Nikki Short

The University of Sydney will partner with India’s O.P. Jindal Global University to offer joint business degrees to students who will split their study time between Australia and India.

The new agreement, set to be inked on Wednesday, is the latest sign of closer education ties developing between the two countries.

Last month the University of Wollongong announced it would establish a teaching base in the Indian city of Ahmedabad which will offer degrees in finance, business and STEM subjects from next year.

Under the new agreement between the University of Sydney and JGU, students doing nominated business degrees at JGU’s campus in Sonipat, near New Delhi, will be able to spend two years there before travelling to Australia to spend the final two years in Sydney.

The arrangement will apply to JGU students doing a bachelor of business administration (honours), a bachelor of commerce (honours) or a bachelor of arts (honours) finance and entrepreneurship. Upon graduation students will receive a University of Sydney bachelor of commerce and may also apply to be awarded their JGU degree.

JGU’s founding vice-chancellor, C. Raj Kumar, said the agreement was “part of a larger effort to expand and deepen ties between India and Australia”.

University of Sydney vice-chancellor Mark Scott, who is in India attending the Australia India Leadership Dialogue, said the new partnership with JGU reflected the vital importance of Australia’s relationship with India. “As the world begins to open up once again, it is more important than ever to offer students immersive international experiences,” he said.

In a separate move, the University of Sydney also announced an agreement with Indian business giant Tata Consultancy Services to collaborate on research projects in technology and digitisation, and various student learning opportunities. The latter are expected to include internships, graduate employment and professional development.

Skills, education and research are key themes of the Australia India Leadership Dialogue, which is being held this week in New Delhi, drawing in business, government and education representatives from both countries.

Group of Eight CEO Vicki Thomson, who is attending the dialogue, said several Go8 universities, including the University of Sydney, were taking part. She said it was a good opportunity for Australia’s research intensive universities to extend their quality research partnerships in India in key areas such as cyber security and critical technologies which are important to both countries.

“It’s smart for the Go8 universities to be at the table talking to Indian business and industry about how we can work more closely with them,” she said.