Universities UK International and British Council India have launched a bilateral pilot program to support collaboration between UK universities and their Indian partners and send UK students to India during their studies.
The UKIERI Mobility Programme: Study in India, aims to generate up to 200 opportunities for undergraduate students at UK universities by March 2021, with priority given to students from traditionally underrepresented groups.
“We hope to accelerate this inter-country exchange to give the best possible education to students”
The program will support objectives to increase outward student mobility from the UK to 13% by 2020 as set out in UUKi’s Go International: Stand Out campaign, and help UK graduates prepare for a globally competitive workforce.
It will also support the internationalisation of Indian higher education through the diversification of the student body, and the consolidation of inter-institutional partnerships.
Speaking about the launch, Universities minister Chris Skidmore said that international opportunities can offer fantastic benefits to UK students, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds.
“Not only do these opportunities offer students the chance to further their personal development through rich cultural and academic experiences in India, but they also help to develop our own ‘global citizens’ who are ready to succeed in an increasingly international marketplace,” he said in a statement.
Director of UUKi Vivienne Stern added that students who go abroad tend to do better academically and professionally.
“We also know that exchanging students supports the development of strategic partnerships between universities,” she said.
“It also fits neatly with the government of India’s goal to attract a greater number of international students and support the development of international networks for some of India’s strongest universities.”
“We believe students who have had international experience as part of their education have a broader, more global perspective of their subject that they then take on to their professional lives,” said Barbara Wickham OBE, director of British Council India.
Through the Study in India program, we hope to accelerate this inter-country exchange to give the best possible education to students for the mutual benefit of both countries.”
The program will be funded by the UK and Indian governments as part of phase three of the UK-India Education Research Initiative and delivered by the British Council, UUKi and EdCIL in India.
