For design students looking to build an international perspective into their education, BITS Design School and RMIT University, Melbourne, have formalised a new five-year articulation agreement that creates a structured pathway from Mumbai to Australia.

Under the agreement, students completing the first two years of the Bachelor of Design (Honours) at BITS Design School will be eligible to transfer to RMIT University and carry their academic credits into its Bachelor of Industrial Design (Honours) programme.

The partnership allows up to five BITS Design School students each year to make the transition to RMIT, with the intake set to be reviewed after two years. Students transferring to RMIT will receive 192 credit points towards the programme and complete their remaining coursework in Melbourne.

Their studies will include design studios, a design honours project and the opportunity to pursue a major across four areas: Design for Advanced Manufacture, Design for Sustainability, Interaction Design, and Design for Sound Interfaces and Environments. The programme will span RMIT’s Melbourne City and Brunswick campuses in Victoria.

The agreement was signed by Nandita Abraham, Dean, BITS Design School, and Tim Marshall, Deputy Vice-Chancellor Design and Social Context and Vice-President, RMIT University.

From Mumbai to Melbourne

The first cohort eligible under the new articulation agreement comprises students who began the BITS Design School programme in July 2025. They will be eligible to transfer to RMIT from Semester 2 of 2027 or Semester 1 of 2028, with their degree completion expected in 2029.

For BITS Design School, the agreement builds on a longer-standing relationship between BITS Pilani and RMIT University, while strengthening the international dimension of its design education offering.

Global exposure has been part of BITS Design School’s vision since its inception, with the institution aiming to prepare students to engage with international design practices, perspectives and opportunities.

The relationship has also been taking shape through student exchanges. In July, seven RMIT students visited BITS Design School in Mumbai, while eight BITS Design School students are scheduled to travel to RMIT for the spring semester exchange.

Beyond creating a transfer route, the collaboration reflects the increasingly international nature of design education, where students are exposed to different creative ecosystems, approaches to problem-solving and professional contexts.

For the students entering the pathway, the Mumbai-to-Melbourne journey offers the opportunity to begin their design education in India before continuing their academic and studio experience in Australia — combining two distinct design environments within a single undergraduate journey.

As design continues to intersect with technology, sustainability, manufacturing, interaction and emerging interfaces, such cross-border academic pathways are also becoming a way for young designers to experience the discipline beyond geographical boundaries.