Deakin University’s GIFT City Campus has welcomed its third cohort of students, marking a significant milestone in its rapid growth as India’s first international university branch campus.
In just over two years since its establishment, the campus has successfully onboarded three student cohorts, celebrated its first graduates, completed its inaugural placement cycle, and developed a strong network of more than 60 industry partners. This steady progress highlights Deakin’s long-term dedication to delivering world-class education tailored to India’s needs.
The latest cohort has enrolled in Deakin’s globally recognised postgraduate programmes in Business Analytics and Cyber Security fields that are critical to India’s fast-growing digital economy. The new students represent a balanced gender distribution and come from various parts of the country, with the highest enrolments from Gujarat, reflecting increasing confidence in the campus and its industry-aligned curriculum.
Ravneet Pawha, Vice President (Global Engagement) and CEO (South Asia), Deakin University, expressed her enthusiasm about this development. “Welcoming our third cohort is much more than an enrolment milestone. It demonstrates that international education can successfully combine global quality with Indian relevance. That is the vision of NEP 2020, and the vision Deakin has been committed to delivering from day one".
She added, “For over 32 years, Deakin has worked alongside India as a trusted education and knowledge partner. Today, our GIFT City Campus is helping build the future-ready talent and industry capability that will power India's knowledge economy".
Dr Deepak Bajaj, Academic and Campus Director, Deakin University GIFT City Campus, welcomed the new students and highlighted the campus’s growing role. “As our campus continues to grow, so does the opportunity to shape the next generation of professionals for India's rapidly evolving knowledge economy. We warmly welcome our newest students and look forward to nurturing their potential through globally benchmarked education, immersive industry experiences and a collaborative learning environment that prepares them to create meaningful impact from day one”.
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Located in India’s premier international financial and innovation hub GIFT City the campus offers students a unique industry-integrated learning experience. The curriculum blends academic excellence with real-world exposure through live projects, internships, masterclasses, mentoring, and dedicated career-readiness initiatives.
Deakin has built a robust industry network of over 60 leading organisations, including National Australia Bank (NAB), HSBC, ANZ, Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, Macquarie, EY, BHP, ICICI Bank, India INX, Adani Group, and Forensic CyberTech. Every student undertakes live industry projects as part of their academic journey.
Graduates from the first cohort have already secured positions with prominent Indian and multinational companies. Notably, several employers have returned to recruit from subsequent cohorts, demonstrating strong confidence in the quality of talent emerging from the campus.
During the recent industry orientation programme, new student Diya Rajesh Jimuliya, pursuing a Master of Business Analytics, shared her experience: “It was an extremely motivating session. We got to know what skills would matter in the future. We came to know that we must remain agile and adapt to the changes every day while we learn how to control the controllables".
Industry leaders have also praised the students’ preparedness. Shefali Gaur, Technical Leader, IBM Service Engineering, Americas, remarked: “What stood out for me was that the students know what's happening in the industry, about disruption, AI and even ethical use of AI. That impressed me as much as their curiosity and willingness to engage".
Deakin University’s GIFT City Campus stands as a successful model of how international universities can contribute meaningfully to India’s higher education ecosystem. By aligning global standards with local priorities, the campus is playing a vital role in developing future-ready professionals while supporting national goals in workforce development, innovation, and economic growth under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
As the campus continues to expand, it remains committed to nurturing talent that can drive India’s digital transformation and strengthen its position in the global knowledge economy.
