Wellington’s University partnership establishes pathway for Mumbai students

Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington has partnered with Vidyalankar School of Information and Technology (VSIT) in India’s largest city, Mumbai, to offer a new collaborative undergraduate programme in Communication Studies.

The programme will see students study the first two years of their undergraduate degree at VSIT, which is affiliated to the University of Mumbai, one of the country’s leading universities.

When borders are open, eligible students then transition to Wellington for another two years of study, before graduating in the city with a Bachelor of Communication degree from the Wellington Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences.

“We look forward to welcoming these students as they begin their study in Mumbai and when they are able to transition to living and studying in Wellington,” says Vice-Chancellor Professor Grant Guilford.

The partnership is one of several recently established with international universities, including the Communications University of Zhejiang in China. The University is looking forward to welcoming international students via the partnerships, part of its move to work with universities across the world to deliver our high-quality education more widely.

New Zealand will be well positioned as a safe study destination once borders reopen and Wellington’s University is one of the top-ranking universities internationally for research quality, with a Media and Communication programme ranked in the top 200 in the world according to the latest QS rankings.

“It is a pleasure to welcome students from Mumbai to participate in the Bachelor of Communication through this partnership. The students from VSIT will not only benefit from the courses on offer here, but New Zealand-based students will benefit from their perspective and experiences,” says the programme’s director, Dr Michael Daubs.

“The partnership will also provide our Indian students with transferrable skills that will prepare them to work as a communication professional—in New Zealand, India, and abroad.”

VSIT is one of the most popular colleges of Mumbai, offering undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral programmes in IT, Commerce, Management, and Mass Media.

“Vidyalankar Group of Educational Institutes is very happy to collaborate with Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington,” says Associate Dean—International Programmes Ms. Shweta M. Apte from VSIT.

“We are confident this collaboration will create various opportunities for our students to learn and apply their skills in the real world. Estero New Zealand has been a great support in facilitating this partnership. We look forward to a long-term relationship with the University.”

Estero, an Education New Zealand Recognised Agency, will be helping the students at VSIT learn about opportunities in New Zealand and with their enrolment and visa formalities.