IIFT to Open New Campus at GIFT City Gandhinagar

Gandhinagar, Gujarat – In a significant development for higher education and international business studies in India, the Ministry of Education has approved the establishment of an off-campus centre of the prestigious Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT), New Delhi, at GIFT City in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. This marks a major step in the expansion of IIFT’s academic reach and aligns with the government’s vision to make GIFT City a global financial and knowledge hub.

The new campus has been approved under Section 3 of the University Grants Commission (UGC) Act, 1956, following the UGC (Institutions Deemed to be Universities) Regulations, 2023. The approval comes after IIFT fulfilled all requirements laid out in the Letter of Intent issued in January 2025. These included submitting a robust development roadmap that outlines a multidisciplinary academic institution with a student capacity of over 1,000, a detailed academic plan, provision of qualified faculty, and planning for a state-of-the-art library and permanent campus infrastructure.

The GIFT City centre will be housed on the 16th and 17th floors of GIFT Tower 2. It will initially offer IIFT’s flagship MBA (International Business) programme, alongside specialised short-term training courses and research activities focused on international trade, finance, and related fields. This move is expected to significantly benefit students aspiring for careers in global commerce and support India’s ambition to enhance its position in international trade.

Union Minister for Commerce and Industry, Shri Piyush Goyal, lauded the development on social media, stating, “Hearty congratulations to @IIFT_Official on getting approval to open its new off-campus centre in India’s global financial hub @GIFTcity. This will pave the way for training talents in the field of international business.”

The establishment of IIFT’s campus at GIFT City aligns seamlessly with the goals of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which emphasizes multidisciplinary and globally competitive education. By setting up a centre in India’s first operational smart city and financial hub, IIFT is poised to attract not only domestic but also international talent.

IIFT, founded in 1963 under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, is one of India’s most respected business schools. It became a Deemed to be University in 2002 and currently holds an A+ accreditation from NAAC and prestigious AACSB certification, placing it among an elite group of global institutions.

The GIFT City campus is expected to serve as a gateway to industry-academia collaboration, with strong potential for internships, executive education, and real-time market learning given the city’s financial ecosystem. With this new presence in Gujarat, IIFT will further strengthen India’s business education landscape and contribute to building a skilled workforce ready for the global stage.