Office for International Affairs
The Office of International Affairs was established in 2009 to attract full-time international students through Government of India programmes such as ICCR, SII and self-financed direct admissions. The University’s vision, planning and processes embody the core values of National Needs–Global Standards, Innovation, Public Engagement and Social Impact. As a significant contributor to the nation’s knowledge economy, it offers enhanced knowledge services in diverse fields to produce global-quality research, teaching and learning outcomes.
Our mission is to disseminate and advance knowledge by providing instructional and research facilities in such branches of learning as the University deems fit, by the example of its corporate life, and in particular to make special provisions for integrated courses in humanities and science in the educational programmes of the University. The Office also develops Memoranda of Understanding with universities abroad, which has contributed to the internationalisation of the University over the years.
The Office coordinates the University’s international collaborations in close contact with the University leadership and the various faculties and departments, and is responsible for the University’s bilateral agreements and its participation in networks and organisations.
Under the National Education Policy 2020, one of the measures proposed is an emphasis on internationalisation, to raise the number of international students enrolled in full degree programmes as well as short-term programmes. To strengthen these efforts, the Study in India Programme (SIP) office and the Office of International Affairs merged in 2021, under the UGC guidelines, into the “Office for International Affairs”. The Office has a Director and an Associate Director, along with a management committee, to guide and mentor students while they are on campus.
Study in India Programme (SIP)
The University of Hyderabad pioneered the Study in India Programme, which gives international students the opportunity to come for short-term courses. Launched in 1998 as an experimental summer initiative, the flagship venture is now recognised as the most successful study-abroad programme in the country. Courses follow the interests of the students, guided by SIP faculty and programme assistants, and some programmes are designed specifically for a partner institution’s students. Short summer courses and semester programmes are offered, and their credits are transferable to the student’s home institution.
SIP has also designed an innovative two-week Faculty Development Seminar for university and college teachers, in which they learn not only about Indian culture and history but also about advances in science and technology, to better prepare them for teaching South Asia-related courses in their own institutions. SIP has thus responded to the changing needs and challenges of international education, designing curricula and courses in keeping with broader trends and with the evolving requirements of particular institutions.
Details of the semester, summer and short-term courses, and of who can join them, are on the programmes page.
About the University
- Teaching staff
- 400+
- Non-teaching staff
- 1200
- Students
- 5000+
The University of Hyderabad (UoH), established by an Act of Parliament in 1974, is one of the major institutions of higher education in India. Largely devoted to postgraduate studies, it is widely known for its excellence in research and its distinguished faculty. Also known as Hyderabad Central University (HCU), it has emerged as a leading centre of teaching and research, with over 40 departments and centres organised in 12 Schools of study. The University offers close to 120 programmes of study, from doctoral studies to Master’s degrees, as well as postgraduate diplomas and short-term courses in distance and virtual mode, and hosts an ever-increasing number of foreign scholars through the Office for International Affairs.
The University has built a reputation for high-quality academic training and has been recognised through a number of awards: PURSE, given by the Prime Minister of India, and the highest grade, A, from the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), with re-accreditation at a CGPA of 3.72 out of 4, which places it in the top league of institutions in the country. UoH was one of the first universities recognised by the UGC as a University with Potential for Excellence (UPE).
An Institution of Eminence
The Institution of Eminence (IoE) status, accorded to the University in September 2019, recognises UoH’s standing, ability and potential to move into the league of the world’s best institutions. With additional funding, autonomy and support from the Government of India, the University is positioned and mandated to figure among the world’s 500 best universities in the next few years.
- Putting students first
- IoE’s emphasis is, first and foremost, its students. It seeks to improve services, facilities, research opportunities, visibility, collaborations, and innovative programmes and courses. The IoE tagline ‘national needs, global standards’ is geared towards academic, financial and administrative support for all students, with plans for conferences and workshops, financial aid (travel and research grants), capacity-building programmes, information dissemination, campus services and academic assistance.
- Goal
- IoE prepares UoH’s students to be the most sought-after employees, researchers and faculty for organisations across the globe.
- Capacity building
- IoE also enables capacity building among non-teaching and administrative staff through training programmes across levels and areas of expertise, with measures to help them attend and organise such programmes.
- Boost to faculty output
- A university’s global visibility relies heavily on its faculty output. IoE funds research projects, outreach activities and capacity-building measures by its faculty, and has invited proposals for new projects, ideally interdisciplinary and innovative.
The University views IoE as an opportunity to leverage its existing reputation, practices and services to place its students in the best and highest leagues globally. Internationalisation is one of the key goals of this mandate.