NITI Aayog Launches Execution-Focused Roadmap

NITI Aayog releases a landmark report, Internationalisation of Higher Education in India: Prospects, Potential, and Policy Recommendations in which IIT Madras, Association of Indian Universities (AIU) and Acumen are Knowledge Partners. The report sets out a clear, execution-led roadmap to position India as a global hub for higher education, research, and talent by 2047.

With India making significant progress on policy reform under NEP 2020, the report underscores that the next phase of transformation will be determined by how effectively institutions execute internationalisation on the ground. Drawing on global benchmarks and institutional experience, the NITI Aayog study focuses on operational models, governance structures, and performance indicators that enable universities to move from intent to delivery.

The report highlights the urgent need to move beyond internationalisation defined solely by student mobility. With more than one million Indian students studying abroad each year and fewer than 50,000 international students currently choosing India, the findings point to both a strategic opportunity and an economic imperative to strengthen internationalisation at home.
Key execution-focused insights from the report include:

• Embedding global curricula, visiting faculty, and joint teaching models within Indian campuses to deliver international-quality education at scale
• Phased partnership pathways, allowing institutions to progress from collaboration and exchange to joint and dual degree programmes as capacity matures
• Clear institutional action pathways and performance indicators, supported by NEP 2020, UGC and IFSCA GIFT City regulations, to ensure internationalisation initiatives are sustainable and outcomes-driven
• Projections showing India could host up to 11 lakh international students by 2047 if execution matches policy ambition.

Commenting on the report, Adrian Mutton, Executive Chairman, Acumen, said:
“India’s ambitious National Education Policy reform in 2020 set an ambitious path to transform its education sector. Five years on, this NITI Aayog report reviews its progress and lays out a roadmap that matches national ambition with practical delivery models to further strengthen Indian institutions, world class education accessible at home and to prepare its students to become talented contributors to a local and global workforce.”

The report sets out 22 policy recommendations, 76 action pathways, and 125 performance success indicators, providing institutions and policymakers with a practical playbook for embedding internationalisation across teaching, research, governance, and partnerships.

Acumen and its partners are committed to the transformation of India’s higher education ecosystem – helping ensure that India emerges not only as a policy leader, but as a globally competitive, execution-ready destination for higher education.