UNSW Sydney opens Bengaluru campus; V-C promises industry-driven education and high employability

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The university has limited number of seats for each programme to only 30 so that each student from this cohort understands the ecosystem of working in the industry

Updated - August 01, 2026 11:28 am IST - Bengaluru

Dignitaries, including Australian High Commissioner to India Philip Green OAM, UNSW Sydney Vice-Chancellor Attila Brungs, UNSW Bengaluru Rector Payyazhi Vadakkekara Jayashree, Australia’s Assistant Minister for International Education Julian Hill MP, and Karnataka Minister M.B. Patil, unveiling the commemorative plaque during the inauguration of the UNSW Bengaluru campus here on Thursday. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

The University of New South Wales (UNSW), Australia, which inaugurated its Bengaluru campus at Manyata Tech Park on Thursday, will deploy the same plan to bridge the gap of job skills among young graduates and make them employable, said Attila Brungs, Vice-Chancellor and president, UNSW.

Prof. Brungs, who spoke to The Hindu after the inauguration, said, “AI technology is a challenge to universities in India as well as Australia. Hence, our curriculum and framework are designed in a way that students learn using AI tools and develop job ready skills.”

“The UNSW is the number one university in Australia for employability, as we have 90% of our students employed as soon as they graduate. We want to bring similar track record in Bengaluru. What we do is we get industry engaged with our students right from first year of UG programmes. Hence, all our courses have industry problems, and students have to work all their way through to solve these issues. India’s National Education Policy (2020) also speaks of the same.”

The university has limited number of seats for each programme to only 30 so that each student from this cohort understands the ecosystem of working in the industry, he stressed.

Around 91 students have been enrolled in the UNSW’s new batch for four different programmes, including Bachelor of Business, Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, Bachelor of Data Science and Decisions and Masters in Cyber Security.

“That’s the way that we know almost guarantees employability when they leave the university. Besides, the university has kept artificial intelligence in focus and framed their curriculum as well as assessment strategy. For some of your assessments, students have to use human-to-human inputs and cannot use AI tools. Because we want to make sure that people learn human skills like critical thinking and problem solving. For other assessments, it is compulsory to use AI tools and skills because it tests your ability to use AI and be job ready when you step out,” Prof. Brungs said.

Explaining the reason behind choosing Bengaluru to open their international campus, Prof. Brungs said, “Bengaluru is the beating heart of start-ups in India. The UNSW is the number one university in Australia for innovation of start-ups. We have more start-ups come out of the UNSW than all the other universities in Australia combined.”

Although other foreign universities, including University of Liverpool and University of Lancaster, are going to open their international campuses in Bengaluru, Prof. Brungs said.

“Bengaluru has a relatively educated populace, but there are more people who need to be educated and get skilled to earn good jobs. Hence, the opportunity here is extraordinary to us and youngsters. You can have a number of foreign universities come, and all of us work hard to meet the demand that’s here.”

He also highlighted that there are many students in India who are intelligent and aspiring, yet lack access to quality higher education.

“This is where our scholarships and various other programmes support such students pursue higher education at our university. We’re going to try and make education accessible to really aspiring youngsters,” Prof. Brungs said.

Published - July 31, 2026 09:54 pm IST

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