UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — University of Liverpool Receives Letter of Approval (LoA) to establish its Campus in Bengaluru

Q1. Under the UGC (Setting up and Operation of Campuses of Foreign Higher Educational Institutions in India) Regulations, 2023, which one of the following is the sole statutory authority empowered to grant approval for establishing a foreign university's branch campus in India?

• A. All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE)
• B. University Grants Commission (UGC)
• C. International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA)
• D. Association of Indian Universities (AIU)

Q2. With reference to the UGC (Setting up and Operation of Campuses of Foreign Higher Educational Institutions in India) Regulations, 2023, consider the following statements: 1. To be eligible, a foreign Higher Educational Institution must figure within the top 500 in the overall global rankings or within the top 500 in subject-wise global rankings, as decided by the Commission. 2. Unlike the GIFT City framework regulated by IFSCA, the 2023 Regulations permit foreign HEI campuses in India to offer programmes in Online and Open and Distance Learning (ODL) modes. 3. The 2023 Regulations grant foreign HEI campuses autonomy to decide their fee structure and allow repatriation of funds to the parent campus, subject to the Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999.

1. To be eligible, a foreign Higher Educational Institution must figure within the top 500 in the overall global rankings or within the top 500 in subject-wise global rankings, as decided by the Commission.
2. Unlike the GIFT City framework regulated by IFSCA, the 2023 Regulations permit foreign HEI campuses in India to offer programmes in Online and Open and Distance Learning (ODL) modes.
3. The 2023 Regulations grant foreign HEI campuses autonomy to decide their fee structure and allow repatriation of funds to the parent campus, subject to the Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999.

• A. 1 and 2 only
• B. 1 and 3 only
• C. 2 and 3 only
• D. 1, 2 and 3

Q3. With reference to the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and subsequent UGC measures for internationalisation of higher education, consider the following statements:

1. Selected universities from among the top 100 universities in the world are facilitated to operate in India.
2. Institutions of Eminence (IoEs) are permitted to set up off-shore campuses outside India.
3. Indian higher educational institutions may offer Twinning, Joint Degree and Dual Degree programmes in collaboration with foreign universities.
4. All foreign universities establishing campuses anywhere in India are regulated exclusively by the International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA).

• A. 1 only
• B. 2 and 3
• C. 4 only
• D. 1 and 4

Q4. As originally envisaged under the Institutions of Eminence (IoE) scheme of the Ministry of Education, how many institutions (public and private taken together) were proposed to be granted the IoE status?

• A. 6
• B. 10
• C. 20
• D. 114

Q5. Under which one of the following regulatory frameworks were the campuses of Deakin University and the University of Wollongong at GIFT City permitted to operate in India?

• A. University Grants Commission (Setting up and Operation of Campuses of Foreign Higher Educational Institutions in India) Regulations, 2023
• B. International Financial Services Centres Authority (Setting up and Operation of International Branch Campuses and Offshore Education Centres) Regulations
• C. All India Council for Technical Education (Regulations for Entry and Operation of Foreign Universities Imparting Technical Education in India)
• D. Ministry of External Affairs guidelines under the India-Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement

Q6. With reference to the foreign university campuses approved/operationalised in India, consider the following statements: 1. The University of Southampton's Gurugram campus was the first foreign university campus to be operationalised in India under the UGC Regulations, 2023. 2. The University of Liverpool received the first Letter of Intent (LoI) issued under the UGC (Setting up and Operation of Campuses of Foreign Higher Educational Institutions in India) Regulations, 2023. 3. Deakin University and the University of Wollongong, both based in Australia, established their Indian branch campuses at GIFT City prior to the Southampton campus becoming operational. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. The University of Southampton's Gurugram campus was the first foreign university campus to be operationalised in India under the UGC Regulations, 2023.
2. The University of Liverpool received the first Letter of Intent (LoI) issued under the UGC (Setting up and Operation of Campuses of Foreign Higher Educational Institutions in India) Regulations, 2023.
3. Deakin University and the University of Wollongong, both based in Australia, established their Indian branch campuses at GIFT City prior to the Southampton campus becoming operational.

• A. 1 only
• B. 1 and 3 only
• C. 2 and 3 only
• D. 1, 2 and 3

Q7. In the context of GIFT-IFSC, the term 'International Branch Campus (IBC)', as used under the IFSCA (Setting up and Operation of International Branch Campus and Offshore Education Centres) Regulations, 2022, refers to which one of the following?

• A. A campus established in a foreign country by an Indian higher educational institution to enrol foreign students
• B. A campus established in GIFT-IFSC by a foreign higher educational institution to offer its own degree programmes to Indian and foreign students
• C. A twinning arrangement in which students split their period of study between an Indian institution and its foreign partner
• D. An online-only delivery centre operated within India by a foreign university exclusively for Indian residents

Q8. With reference to the regulation of foreign higher educational institutions at GIFT-IFSC, consider the following statements:

1. The IFSCA (Setting up and Operation of International Branch Campus and Offshore Education Centres) Regulations were notified in 2022.
2. Deakin University, Australia, was the first foreign university approved by IFSCA to establish an International Branch Campus at GIFT City.
3. Foreign universities operating at GIFT-IFSC are jointly regulated by the University Grants Commission (UGC) and IFSCA.
4. The University of Wollongong, Australia, has been approved to set up a campus at GIFT City.

• A. 1, 2 and 4
• B. 2 and 3 only
• C. 1, 3 and 4
• D. 1 and 2 only

Q9. With reference to foreign university campuses being established in India under the UGC (Setting Up and Operation of Campuses of Foreign Higher Educational Institutions in India) Regulations, 2023, consider the following statements comparing the University of Southampton and the University of Liverpool initiatives: 1. The University of Southampton, which set up its campus in Gurugram, was the first foreign higher educational institution to receive a Letter of Intent under these Regulations, while the University of Liverpool was the second. 2. Unlike the Southampton campus at Gurugram, the Liverpool campus is being established in Bengaluru, Karnataka. 3. Both universities are based in the United Kingdom and their Indian campuses are operationalised under the same UGC Regulations of 2023. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. The University of Southampton, which set up its campus in Gurugram, was the first foreign higher educational institution to receive a Letter of Intent under these Regulations, while the University of Liverpool was the second.
2. Unlike the Southampton campus at Gurugram, the Liverpool campus is being established in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
3. Both universities are based in the United Kingdom and their Indian campuses are operationalised under the same UGC Regulations of 2023.

• A. 1 only
• B. 2 and 3 only
• C. 1 and 3 only
• D. 1, 2 and 3

Q10. With reference to the University of Liverpool's Bengaluru campus, which is scheduled to admit its first cohort in August 2026, consider the following disciplines: 1. Business Management 2. Accounting and Finance 3. Mechanical Engineering 4. Biomedical Science Which of the above disciplines is/are NOT part of the initial set of programmes announced for the Bengaluru campus?

1. Business Management
2. Accounting and Finance
3. Mechanical Engineering
4. Biomedical Science

• A. 3 only
• B. 1 and 3
• C. 2 and 4
• D. 3 and 4

Q11. Foreign universities such as the University of Liverpool are granted a Letter of Approval (LoA) to establish a campus in India under regulations notified in 2023 by which one of the following authorities?

• A. All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE)
• B. University Grants Commission (UGC)
• C. NITI Aayog
• D. Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education

Q12. With reference to the India-UK Roadmap 2030 and the related Technology Security Initiative (TSI), consider the following statements: 1. The India-UK Roadmap 2030 was adopted in 2021 to operationalise the bilateral Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. 2. The UK-India Technology Security Initiative builds upon the Roadmap 2030 and focuses on cooperation in critical and emerging technologies. 3. People-to-People contacts, Trade and Prosperity, Defence and Security, Climate Action and Health are among the five pillars of the Roadmap 2030. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. The India-UK Roadmap 2030 was adopted in 2021 to operationalise the bilateral Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
2. The UK-India Technology Security Initiative builds upon the Roadmap 2030 and focuses on cooperation in critical and emerging technologies.
3. People-to-People contacts, Trade and Prosperity, Defence and Security, Climate Action and Health are among the five pillars of the Roadmap 2030.

• A. 1 and 2 only
• B. 2 and 3 only
• C. 1 and 3 only
• D. 1, 2 and 3

Q13. Under the UGC (Setting up and Operation of Campuses of Foreign Higher Educational Institutions in India) Regulations, 2023, the statutory authority that issues the Letter of Intent (LoI) and Letter of Approval (LoA) to a foreign university seeking to set up an Indian campus is:

• A. All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE)
• B. University Grants Commission (UGC)
• C. National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC)
• D. Association of Indian Universities (AIU)

Q14. With reference to the statutory mandate of the University Grants Commission under the UGC Act, 1956, which of the following is/are NOT among the functions of the Commission?

1. Determination and maintenance of standards of teaching, examination and research in universities.
2. Granting approval for setting up new technical institutions offering degrees in engineering and pharmacy.
3. Allocation and disbursement of grants to universities out of the Fund of the Commission.
4. Recognition of foreign medical qualifications for the purpose of professional practice in India.

• A. 1 and 3
• B. 2 and 4
• C. 1, 2 and 4
• D. 3 only

Q15. The Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, an Institution of National Importance, functions administratively under which one of the following Ministries of the Government of India?

• A. Ministry of Science and Technology
• B. Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology
• C. Ministry of Education
• D. Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship

Q16. With reference to higher-education institutions and the knowledge economy of Bengaluru/Karnataka, consider the following statements:

1. The Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, was established in 1909 with contributions from Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata and the Maharaja of Mysore.
2. The National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bengaluru, was established by an Act of the Parliament of India.
3. Karnataka accounts for over 40% of India's IT and software services exports.

• A. 1 only
• B. 1 and 3 only
• C. 2 and 3 only
• D. 1, 2 and 3