The relocation comes as Indian college organizations progressively pursue overseas schools and worldwide collaborations as part of wider internationalisation efforts.
The proposed sub-campus will see IIT Bombay provide its academic offerings from the SUNY Old Westbury school, starting with certificate courses before expanding into complete degree and research programs.
Rather than constructing an entirely new school, IIT Bombay has opted to partner with an existing university, allowing it to concentrate on developing academic programs instead of navigating land acquisition and regulatory approvals.
“Setting up a totally new school would have required us to acquire land and acquire different approvals. By partnering with an existing university in the United States, we can avoid these formalities and concentrate on developing courses and academic programs,” director Shireesh Kedare said during a virtual press conference.
The first certificate courses will focus on expert system, sustainability and clean technology before broadening to undergraduate, postgraduate and research programs in science and engineering for trainees from worldwide, including the United States and India.
“These will be certificate courses which can start from 2027. Whereas beginning total programs will occur in due course of time,” Kedare stated, adding that admissions will not be through India’s Joint Entryway Assessment (JEE Advanced).
Unlike existing exchange and joint-degree arrangements, “with this partnership we will offer our courses on US land,” he said.
The organizations will at first focus on faculty and scientist exchanges, joint research study tasks, conferences and seminar while establishing new academic programs.
IIT Bombay likewise plans to establish research laboratories on the Long Island school. Kedare said the institutions’ complementary strengths made the partnership a natural fit and that the institute’s substantial United States alumni network would support the effort.
The agreement is presently at the Letter of Objective stage, with details consisting of admissions, tuition charges, degree structures, credit transfer arrangements and timelines for full academic programs yet to be announced ahead of the planned 2027 launch.
We are delighted to develop a direct partnership that advances teaching, innovation and quality in disciplines like physics and engineering with a goal of creating a robust IIT Bombay presence on our
school Timothy E. Sams, SUNY”
We are excited to develop a direct partnership that advances mentor, innovation and quality in disciplines like physics and engineering with an objective of developing a robust IIT Bombay presence on our school so that together we can prepare the next generation of leaders who will sustain success across our area, state, country and world,” stated SUNY Old Westbury president, Timothy E. Sams.
India’s education minister Dharmendra Pradhan likewise welcomed the statement. Explaining the collaboration as “a living corridor of knowledge in between India and the United States”, Pradhan stated that it would create “win-win opportunities” for students and academics in both countries while supporting the advancement of cutting-edge innovations in frontier science.
The relocation follows comparable global expansion by other IITs. IIT Madras opened its campus in Zanzibar in 2023, while IIT Delhi later established a worldwide school in Abu Dhabi.