The UK-India FTA captured the headlines when Narendra Modi visited Keir Starmer on July 24. But something arguably more significant took place – the signing of a refreshed UK-India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership spanning not just trade and investment, but defence and security, climate change and, critically for universities and young people in both countries, education.
This matters as we are currently seeing an important shift in the way universities are engaging with India.
For centuries, Indians have come to the UK to study, including those who shaped India’s cultural, scientific, social and political landscape – from Rabindranath Tagore, Jagdish Chandra Bose, and Mahatma Gandhi in the 19th century, to Jawaharlal Nehru, Amartya Sen and B.R. Ambedkar in the 20th century.
Since 2000, and particularly in the last three years, young Indians have come to the UK in remarkably high numbers. The peak was in 2023/24 when, according to HESA, 166,310 Indians enrolled to study in the UK, up from 54,530 in 2019/20.
This growth – driven by UK government policy, India’s expanding aspirational and affluent population, and turbo-charged marketing by UK universities – is not sustainable. At best, I expect the number of Indians coming to the UK to level off at the current level. But don’t be surprised if they reduce.
I say this for two reasons.
It is hard to see the number of Indians choosing to study in the UK continuing to rise, at least in the short term
First, UK policy changes. The reintroduction of the post-study work was by far the biggest driver of the growth since 2020. However, since 2024 only PhD students can bring dependents to the UK and the government’s current immigration white paper proposes reducing the right to work post graduation to 18 months; and that universities pay a £6,000 per year surcharge per international student. At least some of this amount is expected to be passed onto students.
The second reason is that some are questioning the return on their investment in a UK education. Many of the students that came to the UK, excited by Boris Johnson’s offer of a UK degree and two years’ employment, have now graduated and realised that although they are allowed to work, the reality is that there are not enough jobs for all of them. They are returning to India disappointed, and telling their family, friends and wider network.
So it is hard to see the number of Indians choosing to study in the UK continuing to rise, at least in the short term.
But the story is not entirely gloomy. Like the bilateral partnership celebrated by Modi and Starmer at No. 10, the UK-India education partnership will evolve and continue to thrive.
This is thanks to policy changes in India that allow foreign universities to establish branch campuses and enter TNE partnerships.
In April this year, India’s education minister announced in parliament that three overseas universities were operating in India and that over 50 more have applied. Since then, the University of Southampton is opening its campus and universities from the US, UK, Australia and Italy have been granted permission.
This is still a trickle, but momentum is building. We at GEDU Global Education are being approached by an increasing number of top universities that want help to accelerate and de-risk their campus opening in India.
These universities will continue to host hundreds and, in some cases, thousands of Indian students on their home campus. At the same time, they will teach potentially even larger numbers of students in India.
The UK-India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership signed on July 24 recognises this momentum, encouraging UK universities to establish campuses in India. As the UK-India partnership evolves, so will India’s place in global education.
The next stage of this evolution will be young people from around the world travelling to India to study
Going back even further than Gandhi, Bose and Tagore, Indians have historically travelled abroad for their university studies. This will continue. And, as we are seeing, foreign universities will establish in India.
The next stage of this evolution will be young people from around the world travelling to India to study, not just at branch campuses of global universities but at top-quality Indian institutions.
This process may take several years to reach significant numbers, but India is taking a long term perspective on its global rise.
Modi has set a target that by 2047 – 100 years since independence – India will be a developed nation. Current predictions are that, by that year, India will have a mind-boggling 1.7 billion people, a per capita income of $20,000 and a £30 trillion economy.
Children born in India now will be graduating in 2047, entering the workforce of an economic, political, cultural and economic superpower.
The opportunity is enormous and international universities can play an important role in India’s and Indians’ development. Those that are present quickly will have a clear advantage.
About the author: Kevin McCole is managing director, external engagement and sustainability at GEDU Global Education
