Daijiworld Media Network – Bengaluru
Bengaluru, Oct 15: The University of Liverpool plans to expand its Bengaluru campus in Whitefield to 10,000 students over the next decade, up from nearly 300 in its inaugural academic year, Vice-Chancellor Tim Jones has said.
Speaking to Business Standard, Jones said the university intends to introduce two to three new programmes every year to expand the campus's academic offerings. Psychology is among the courses under consideration, although a final decision has not yet been made.
The campus was officially inaugurated on Thursday with six undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in computer science, software development, accounting and finance, business management, biomedical sciences and games design.
Biomedical sciences has emerged as the most popular programme among the first batch of students, reflecting Bengaluru's strong life sciences ecosystem, Jones said.
"Our aim is to have 10,000 students in 10 years. So we start with 300, and that's the growth trajectory," he said.
The university is developing a pipeline of new courses to broaden its academic offerings and accommodate more students. Jones said the campus would gradually expand both the scale and range of its programmes.
Citing the university's experience in China, Jones pointed to Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, established in 2006 in partnership with China's Xi'an Jiaotong University. The institution began with 164 students and has since grown to more than 26,000, he said. The Bengaluru campus, he added, would need to build scale over the next three to four years.
Around half of the first cohort at the Bengaluru campus is from Karnataka. The university has also attracted students from 21 Indian states and nearly 12 international students from around 11 countries, Jones said.
To strengthen industry exposure, the university has signed agreements with companies to support internships, placements and other professional opportunities. Industry professionals will also be invited to teach students, he added.
Jones said Bengaluru was chosen because of its established technology and life sciences ecosystem, as well as the university's existing research relationships with the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru.
The university intends to develop further research partnerships with Indian academic institutions and companies, he said.
Artificial intelligence literacy will be integrated across the university's programmes rather than being restricted to technology-related courses. Jones said a comprehensive curriculum review in Liverpool would also influence the programmes offered in India.
He emphasised that students must understand both the opportunities and limitations of AI, along with its ethical implications and the need for responsible use.
"Every student has to be AI literate. They have to be exposed to AI, they have to use it, but they have to use it with guardrails," Jones said, stressing that students should critically evaluate AI-generated outputs rather than accept them without question.
The university also hopes to attract more international students to its Bengaluru campus and promote greater academic mobility between India and the United Kingdom. Students will have opportunities to spend semesters at the Liverpool campus, while the university aims to encourage more British students to study in India.
Beyond academics, Jones said the institution seeks to strengthen business, cultural and economic ties between the Liverpool city region and Bengaluru through its presence in India.