New Delhi, Sept. 2 -- Earlier, pursuing an international degree meant not just paying lakhs in fees, but also navigating expensive visa applications, steep living costs, recurring airfares and other expenses that could add up to crores.

The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, however, created a third option between domestic and overseas degrees: allowing foreign universities to set up branch campuses in India.

These operate under two regulatory gateways-the International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) GIFT City framework under the ministry of finance, and the University Grants Commission (UGC) regulations under the ministry of education. Both restrict entry to institutions ranked among the top 500 in the subject-wise cat...