With the official launch fast approaching and teaching set to begin, UNSW Bengaluru is moving from planning to delivery.
UNSW Bengaluru is preparing to welcome its first students and open the new UNSW campus in India. Since receiving the University Grants Commission's (UGC) Letter of Approval in June, preparations have accelerated. The official campus launch will take place on Friday 31 July, followed by Orientation Week from Monday 3 to Friday 7 August and the commencement of teaching on Monday 10 August. Teams across Bengaluru and Sydney are working together to deliver a seamless student experience.
Over the past month, new team members have been welcomed and future students engaged. The campus has advanced and the academic, operational and technology foundations to support the inaugural student cohort have continued to be strengthened.
Welcoming future students
One of the highlights over the past few weeks was the UNSW Bengaluru Experience Day on Sunday 21 June. More than 220 prospective students, offer holders and family members visited the campus, spending time with academics and staff, exploring the facilities and getting a feel for what studying at UNSW Bengaluru will be like.
Interest remained strong with the Discover Bengaluru webinar on Saturday 4 July, attracting 114 attendees. The session generated plenty of discussion and questions from prospective students and their families on topics ranging from academic programs to student life and accommodation.
The campus has also been hosting weekly tours for prospective students and their families. Together, the tours, webinar and Experience Day are helping future students become familiar with the campus, meet members of the UNSW Bengaluru team and build excitement ahead of Orientation and the start of classes in August.
The recruitment, admissions, marketing and student services teams are working closely together to guide prospective students through the enrolment process.
Growing the UNSW Bengaluru team
The UNSW Bengaluru team continues to expand as new staff join the campus. Recent arrivals include Associate Professor Viraj Kumar (Computer Science and Engineering), Associate Professor Harshavardhan Chenji (Cyber Security), Pankaj Kumar Mishra (Head of IT), Dr Jayadev B Kumbar (Library Manager), Monica Premakar (Registrar), Saurabh Kale (Head of Campus Operations), Dr Reema Chaudhury (Head of Academic Operations and Student Affairs), Surabhi Suresh (Lead – HR Operations & Systems Management) and Rajani Natarajan (Legal Counsel). Further strengthening the campus team are Dr Vindhya Weeratunga (School of Business, UNSW Canberra) and Dr Kevin Limanta (School of Mathematics and Statistics, UNSW Sydney), who are supporting UNSW Bengaluru on secondment.
Alongside recruitment, attention is now turning to preparing for the start of teaching. In the coming weeks, academics will participate in the Ready to Teach program, with colleagues from Sydney and Canberra travelling to Bengaluru to work alongside teaching staff and support a positive student experience from day one.
Reflecting this progress, a significant milestone was reached on Wednesday 8 July when the Bengaluru team moved into the campus.
Building a student-ready campus
Preparations across the campus continue at pace. Facilities, security and campus services are being established, while final office modifications and operational handovers ahead of launch are ensuring support of a positive experience for students, staff and visitors.
The Library team is finalising the Library website, digital resource procurement and the establishment of key operational procedures. Work continues with suppliers and partners to ensure students have access to the resources they need for Semester 1.
Student accommodation options are now determined and final preparations are underway to support the arrival of UNSW Bengaluru’s first students. Information on accommodation options, facilities and support is available through the Student accommodation website.
Take a closer look at the UNSW Bengaluru campus through a short video tour showcasing the Library, classrooms, makerspace, laboratories and student support spaces.
What's next?
With the commencement of teaching now only weeks away, the focus is increasingly shifting from launch preparations to ensuring students have a positive experience from their very first day at UNSW Bengaluru. The official campus launch on Friday 31 July will mark an important milestone in UNSW's history, bringing together the Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Attila Brungs, government representatives, alumni, industry leaders, strategic partners and the wider UNSW community to celebrate the opening of UNSW's first campus in India.
However, the real measure of success will be welcoming students and commencing teaching on 10 August.
Over the coming weeks, the program will focus on:
- finalising preparations for the official launch on 31 July
- continuing academic preparations, including systems training and course delivery activities for teaching staff
- completing the final stages of Library, technology and operational preparations ahead of Semester 1
- supporting students through onboarding activities ahead of Orientation on 3 August
- welcoming students as classes commence on 10 August.
Want to know more?
Contact the program team at: unswbengaluru@unsw.edu.au.
Photo: UGC representatives joined leaders from UNSW Sydney and UNSW Bengaluru during the 14 May site visit, a key milestone in the lead-up to regulatory approval and campus launch.
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