THE GOAN NETWORK
PANAJI
Goa's first private university, Parul University Goa, has announced ambitious expansion plans, including increasing its student intake capacity to 8,000 over the next five to eight years and setting up private colleges for medicine, ayurveda and homeopathy in the state.
Addressing media persons post Grand University Orientation Programme 2026 for the second batch of students, University’s Goa President Dr Devanshu Patel said the institution presently has around 2,000 students, of whom nearly 1,500 are Goans. The university currently provides accommodation for 2,000 students and plans to significantly expand its infrastructure in the coming years.
Patel said the university has been able to retain Goan students within the state by offering a differential fee structure, under which fees for Goan students are lower than those charged to students from outside Goa. He said that despite being a private institution, the university's fees are at par with, or lower than, those of several private institutions in the state.
"Many students earlier migrated to cities like Mumbai, Pune and Bengaluru for higher education. Today, they can pursue courses such as physiotherapy, nursing, pharmacy, allied health sciences, artificial intelligence and data science within Goa at a much lower cost," he said.
The university currently has about 1,200 Goan students and operates a fleet of 40 buses to provide transportation facilities, ensuring that distance does not become a barrier to higher education. Students are also eligible for all government scholarship schemes.
He said the university has generated substantial employment in South Goa, employing around 200 non-teaching staff and 60 to 70 teaching staff from the state. The planned expansion, he added, would further boost direct and indirect employment and contribute to the state's economy.
The university also plans to introduce foreign language courses and attract more international students. After admitting 10 foreign students last year, it expects around 50 foreign students this academic year.
Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant addressed the orientation programme and urged students to focus on innovation, research, skilling, reskilling and upskilling to become future-ready contributors towards Viksit Bharat 2047. He said the government remains committed to strengthening higher education through scholarships, competitive examination preparation and industry-oriented courses aligned with emerging sectors such as wellness tourism, technology and innovation.
