New Delhi, Feb 5 (NationPress) India is projected to develop nearly 30,000 acres of new campus land along with around 2.7 billion square feet of academic infrastructure by 2035. This expansion aims to satisfy the growing student demand, positioning India as a leader in institutional real estate opportunities globally over the next decade, according to a recent report released on Thursday.

As outlined by ANAROCK Capital, achieving the objectives set by the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020—which aims for a 50 percent gross enrolment ratio (GER) by 2035—will necessitate the creation of roughly 25 million additional seats and an investment of about $100 billion specifically for academic infrastructure, not including land acquisition and facilities for student accommodation.

“This unprecedented scale of growth, driven by demographic trends, increasing enrolments, the globalisation of education, and significant regulatory reforms, likely represents the largest expansion of higher education infrastructure worldwide,” the report states.

The real estate services company reported that enrolments in India’s higher education sector surged from 27 million in 2010-11 to 45 million in 2022-23, thanks to strong demographic factors and heightened aspirations among households. The number of universities expanded from 760 in 2015 to 1,338 by 2025, while the total number of higher education institutions grew from 51,534 to 70,018.

“We believe the provision in the Union Budget 2026 to facilitate the establishment of five university townships acknowledges the pressing need for more academic infrastructure,” commented Shobhit Agarwal, CEO of ANAROCK Capital.

Furthermore, following the FHEI Regulations, foreign higher education institutions ranked among the top 500 globally can now set up campuses in India without needing to affiliate with Indian universities, remarked Aashiesh Agarwaal, SVP of Investment Advisory at ANAROCK Capital.

In addition to the three global university campuses that have already commenced operations, thirteen institutions, including Lancaster (UK), Liverpool (UK), Illinois Institute of Technology (US), and Instituto Europeo di Design (Italy), have announced plans for new campuses, demonstrating substantial international confidence in India's educational market, Agarwaal added.

Uttar Pradesh has initiated stamp duty exemptions and capital subsidies for institutions in higher education. In addition, GIFT City in Gujarat has implemented a dedicated international campus framework featuring shared academic resources. Meanwhile, Maharashtra has focused its strategy on developing a 250-acre ‘Educity’ near Navi Mumbai International Airport, securing commitments from five foreign higher education institutions, as reported.

aar/na