Why Indian Students Are Important To The UK

Indian students are regarded as valuable contributors to the advancement of science and technology research in international campuses.

- Lakshmi Iyer

The United Kingdom has been globally recognised for its quality education, learning experience and solid academic curriculum. The statistics released by the British High Commission show that 1,18,000 Indian students received a student visa from July 2021 to June 2022, making India the most important recruitment destination for UK universities.

Rishi Sunak, whom many Indians hail as one of their own, is now at the helm of affairs in the UK, and there is further energisation of India's overall interest in the UK on all fronts. A new trade deal being negotiated between the two countries is being watched closely.

With Brexit the United Kingdom's exit from the European Union - the UK is hoping to engage more widely as an agile trade partner and India is hoping to benefit from that and the UK education export is very much a strand in this.

A recent survey suggests that over 57 percent of Indian middle-class families are inclined to spend on overseas education. Superior education and lifestyle, global career opportunities, and better salaries emerged as the top three reasons for middle-class families to consider foreign education which was for the longest time limited to just the richer Indians. UK offers all these and more and with enough funding sources becoming available, Indians are embracing more the idea of borrowing to secure their future via the education route.