VIJAYAWADA: In a visionary legislative push to transform Andhra Pradesh into a premier global academic and knowledge hub, the state government has officially notified the “Andhra Pradesh Policy for Promotion of Foreign Higher Educational Institutions (FHEIs) and Private Universities, 2026”.
Designed to curtail the annual outflow of approximately one lakh students migrating abroad for studies while leveraging the state’s expanding economy, the policy establishes a time-bound incentive framework aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and UGC regulations.
The policy outlines several quantitative targets to be achieved by 2029, including establishing more than 5 Foreign Higher Educational Institutions in the state, attracting over 5,000 foreign students to local campuses, ensuring 80% of eligible higher education institutions offer joint, dual, or twinning programmes, and elevating the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) to 50%.
To attract world-class institutions, eligible FHEIs must either rank within the top 500 globally in Times Higher Education (THE) or QS World University Rankings, or place within the top 100 in subject-specific rankings across priority sectors such as semiconductors, artificial intelligence, renewable energy, life sciences, ports and maritime, and data science.
The government has structured a robust fiscal and administrative incentivisation package for FHEIs and top-tier Indian private universities (preferring those within the top 100 of the National Institutional Ranking Framework) that sign MoUs before December 31, 2027. Eligible institutions receive subsidised land allotments of up to 50 acres and 100% exemptions from stamp duty and registration fees for establishing comprehensive campuses.
Furthermore, FHEIs are permitted to partner with empanelled Indian corporate or institutional entities as Academic Infrastructure Service Providers.