The University Grants Commission (UGC) is planning to allow foreign universities to establish campuses in Bangladesh to improve higher education. The commission believes the country will also benefit financially, as the move could ease pressure on foreign currency reserves from tuition fees paid abroad.
Bangladeshi entrepreneurs may hold ownership stakes in these universities, but collaboration of any kind with local universities will not be permitted.
The UGC has said that institutions will not qualify for approval simply because they are foreign. Only institutions with strong higher education rankings, established reputations or good research records will be permitted to open campuses.
The policy will also require the recruitment of local teachers, which the UGC believes will improve their teaching standards.
A draft policy has been prepared. Following consultations with stakeholders, the university regulator aims to finalise it early next year before inviting foreign universities to establish campuses in Bangladesh.
Although Bangladesh has 178 public and private universities, at least 90 lack their own campuses. Teacher-student ratios are inadequate at around 50 universities, while requirements for minimum numbers of professors and associate professors are not being met. These shortcomings have raised questions about the quality of education at most universities.
UGC Chairman Mamun Ahmed told TIMES, “We want to create the opportunity for good universities of the world’s developed countries to want to open their campuses in Bangladesh. Because, to create world-class citizens, we must give priority to cross-border higher education.”
He said a “local partner” would mean a Bangladeshi entrepreneur with an ownership stake. Foreign universities would not be permitted to establish campuses in partnership with local universities.
“A foreign university can come directly by itself, in which case it will be one way. Again, they can also bring a local partner along, in which case it will be another way. Keeping these in view, a separate draft policy has been prepared on running foreign universities,” the UGC chairman said.
BRAC University Professor Emeritus Manzoor Ahmed supports the initiative.
He told TIMES, “Many universities have been and are being established in the country merely from political considerations or a business perspective, without analysing the job market. Students of these institutions are getting certificates but are not getting jobs because they have not acquired subject-based skills.”
“As educated unemployment grows day by day, guardians’ trust in higher education in the country is declining. As a result, those who can afford it are now turning abroad for higher education. If some good foreign universities start their educational activities in Bangladesh, perhaps a large part of the students going abroad will take the opportunity to study at foreign universities while staying in the country. Local institutions will also face competition and will try harder to improve the quality of education.”
Who will get approval to open campuses
The draft policy places importance on internationally recognised rankings, gives priority to long-established universities known for research and requires assessments of the academic profiles and research records of their teachers.
However, no university will receive approval solely on the basis of its ranking. Other relevant factors will also be considered.
Foreign universities establishing campuses must conduct their financial activities in accordance with Bangladesh’s existing laws. Their revenue obligations to Bangladesh will be determined in accordance with domestic laws and international experience.
The draft also proposes allowing universities recognised for advanced teaching in subjects where higher education opportunities are unavailable or limited in Bangladesh to establish campuses.
Initially, priority will be given to subjects that are unavailable or insufficiently offered at domestic institutions, particularly emerging fields of information technology.
The final policy will also require at least half the teaching staff to be locally recruited, subject to qualifications. The UGC believes their skills will improve through collaboration and exchanges with foreign teachers and students, benefiting local universities when these teachers subsequently join them.
The draft also prioritises research that can benefit Bangladesh and its teachers and students.
A new section will be established within the UGC to oversee the activities of foreign university campuses.
A separate ecosystem will be developed around the campuses to support the accommodation and academic activities of foreign students, creating new economic opportunities, employment and cultural exchanges. Tuition fees for local and foreign students will be reviewed and determined later.
United International University (UIU) Vice-Chancellor Prof Md Abul Kashem Mia told TIMES, “If some good foreign universities open their branches or campuses in Bangladesh, it will bring positive change to the country’s higher education system. A competitive environment will then be created for the country’s good public or private universities. There will be cultural exchange through interaction with foreign teachers and students.”
Bangladeshis’ spending on higher education abroad rising sharply
A review of Bangladesh Bank data shows that the amount of money sent abroad for education has doubled over the past five years. In the 2021–22 fiscal year, $430.2 million was sent abroad for education, equivalent to more than Tk5,200 crore.
In the 2025–26 fiscal year, the amount rose to $881.7 million, or around Tk10,888 crore. The figures include tuition fees and students’ personal expenses, with the increase placing growing pressure on the economy.
National University Vice-Chancellor Prof ASM Amanullah told TIMES, “When foreign universities come to the country, this money will no longer have to be spent. Rather, foreign students from nearby will come to our country. Then we will in turn get remittance.”
Recalling that many Malaysian students came to Bangladesh for education during the 1980s, he said, “Now it has become the opposite. Malaysia has instead become one of the region’s education hubs. Thousands of students from countries like ours go there to study every year. We too have the opportunity to build ourselves as an education hub, and we must make use of the opportunity.”
