Tuesday, 27 October 2026Read the signal. Shape what comes next.
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Outlook 2027

Outlook 2027: South Asia edition

Five papers from our editors on what will shape higher education in South Asia in 2027. Data-led, sourced line by line, and written for the people who run universities.

Richard DaviesPolicy, finance and quality

India's open door: half of the foreign campuses given letters of intent are bound for Mumbai

India's 2023 rules let foreign universities offer everything from certificates to post-doctoral study, and 12 held UGC Letters of Intent by August 2025. The competition they bring is concentrated in a few cities and in the most internationally minded part of the market.

12 Foreign universities holding UGC Letters of Intent, as of 20 August 2025

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Rachel SmithRecruitment, international and students

As Canadian permits and US visas fall, Indian students tilt to the UK and Europe

Study permits and visas for Indian students have fallen sharply in Canada and the US, while UK grants and European enrolments rise. For university leaders in South Asia, the task is to judge where that demand settles and how much stays at home.

9,955 New Canadian study permits for Indian students, January to August 2025

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Sarah WilliamsonTeaching, digital and AI, and the academic workforce

India's teaching workforce: a national ratio of 22-23 masks vacancy rates reaching 65%

India's national pupil-teacher ratio of 22-23 in 2023-24 looks reassuring. Vacancies of 26% across central universities in 2025 and 65% in Odisha's in 2024 show the shortage is now local, and digital platforms carry only part of the load.

22-23 Pupil-teacher ratio in regular mode, India, 2023-24

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Scott JamesResearch, innovation and industry

India's R&D spend rose 85% in four years, but ANRF spent only 61% of its budget

India's research spending has grown fast, but its new national research foundation spent only 61% of its 2025-26 allocation. In South Asia the binding constraint is either the capacity to absorb money, as in India, or the money itself, as in Pakistan.

85% Rise in India's gross R&D expenditure, 2019-20 to 2023-24

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Abigail TaylorLeadership, governance, campus and civic role

Binary accreditation unsettles India's autonomy rules as South Asia's regulator overhauls remain proposals

India's accreditor has dropped the grades that its autonomy rules still depend on, while a single-regulator Bill sits in committee. Bangladesh and Pakistan are redesigning oversight and changing leaders, leaving institutions to plan around rules that are not yet settled.

3.25 NAAC score on a 4-point scale that UGC autonomy rules for colleges require

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