Australia’s Deakin welcomes inaugural batch at GIFT City campus

Australia’s Deakin University welcomed its inaugural batch of students for postgraduate study to the GIFT City Campus in the Indian state of Gujarat this week.

This marks the varsity’s entry as the first international university to set up a physical campus in the country, also the first overseas campus set up by the institution. 

“Today, we fulfill our promise to India as our GIFT City Campus comes to life with students. This ambitious project, conceived less than two years ago, has resulted in a fully operational Deakin teaching campus, a world first,” said Ian Martin, Deakin’s vice chancellor. 

The first group of students began their studies this week, enrolling in the Master of Cyber Security (Professional) and Master of Business Analytics programs.

According to Martin, with an ‘in India, with India, for India’ approach, the campus aims to provide a world-class education, combining the Australian system with a focus on the specific needs of Indian students and businesses. 

The students will be collaborating and interning with industry partners like IIBX, Infosys, HCLTech, TCS, NSE Academy, XEBIA, India INX, L&T Edutech, Indifour Consult Pvt. Ltd., and IBM, the university said in a press statement.

After graduating from the university, the students will join a growing alumni network of over 20,000 graduates worldwide. 

Among them will be Akshita Karlapati, who has journeyed over 1400 kilometers for this opportunity, with her sights set on becoming a business analyst. 

“Being part of history as one of the first students at GIFT City and gaining an internationally recognized degree in India is a unique opportunity. The education I receive and connections I make at Deakin GIFT City will open doors globally, helping me achieve my dream,” she said. 

For other students like Bhavika Kotani, a student of the business analytics course, learning from the same professors who teach in Australia with the same international recognition was the main attraction. 

While the program offers this “world-class education” for a tuition fee that adds up to about $23,000 (₹22 lakh), the university has also launched a fully funded scholarship program.

Kotani received the fully funded Deakin University and GIFT City Scholarship, which has relieved much of her financial burden, something that often holds students back from going for a postgraduate education. 

“Receiving the scholarship is an overwhelming and gratifying experience. It allows me to concentrate fully on my studies without the stress of financial constraints,” she said.