In 1995, Pearl started offering students degrees validated by the United Kingdom's Nottingham Trent University.
[2] In 2015, concerns were raised about the validity of programmes delivered by the institution after an alumna reported that the Association of Indian Universities had 'refused to recognize her degree from Pearl Academy.
[3] In 2011, Pearl became a part of the US-based education group Laureate International Universities network.
[4][5] Laureate sold Pearl Academy to Netherlands-headquartered private education company Global University Systems in July 2019, as part of an INR 2,500 crore deal for Laureate's Indian business that also included the University of Petroleum and Energy Studies.
[7] As of January 2021[update] the institution is present in four cities across India, with a campus each in Mumbai, Jaipur and Bangalore, and two in New Delhi (south and west).