The British Council is hosting Study UK Student Connect for Indians looking to study at the undergraduate or postgraduate level in the UK in 2021. The event is on till March 19.
Debanjan Chakrabarti, director, east and north-east, British Council, spoke to ABP Education about the virtual event.
The UK has been a coveted destination for Indian students. How many Indian students went to the UK in 2020 for higher studies?
The number of Indian students studying in the UK has been consistently very high. This is because of the high academic standards of the UK universities. Though we are yet to get the data of how many Indian students were granted student visa in 2020, Indian students going to the UK for higher studies hit a record high in 2019 with 49,844 choosing to study there. Of all the student visas given to international students, around 17% are issued to students from India.
Is Study UK Student Connect a completely online event or is it being held in blended mode?
Since March 2020, things have moved entirely online at the British Council. Study UK Student Connect is a completely online event this year. In the current format, the event has two options — generic webinars from March 8 to March 14 and more in-depth webinars and interactions with prospective students from March 15 to March 19. This is quite different from the face-to-face format that we were used to before the pandemic. But I would say, the current format would help students and parents have a more intimate and personalised discussion with the participating universities from the UK.
With students preparing to move amidst the pandemic, what should they expect once they land in the UK? Will a pre-departure COVID-19 vaccination be mandatory?
There is a very clear protocol in place for all international students. Once students arrive in the UK, they will be considered for vaccination as per the policy of the government of the UK. They do not need to take the vaccine before departure. On arrival, they are expected to be in quarantine and have two COVID-19 tests. There will be regular testing for asymptomatic students on campus.
Will classes be conducted online for 2021? Or will it be in blended manner?
There are courses where 100% online classes will not be possible, like the lab-based subjects and those where practice and face-to-face interaction are necessary. For them, classes have started from March 8. For the rest, classes may happen online and may be in a blended format, depending on the situation. And for the benefit of the students, the new Graduate Route will open for applications on July 1, 2021, for international students who successfully complete a degree at the undergraduate level or above in the UK.
(The Department for Education announced this new immigration route in 2019 for students who have completed an eligible course by a UK higher education provider. Students on the Graduate Route will be able to work or look for work after their studies for a maximum period of two years; doctoral students have three years.)
What are the scholarships that the students can consider applying while planning to study in the UK?
There are a range of scholarships open to Indian students. In 2018-19 alone, the UK government offered 480 scholarships, worth approximately £4.675m, to Indian students. As of now, there are 3 scholarships open for Indian students —British Council Scholarships for Women in STEM, which includes a scholarship programme in partnership with 19 UK universities aimed at benefiting women from India and other countries in South Asia, South East Asia and the Americas; GREAT Scholarships 2021 and Chevening Scholarships.
The GREAT Scholarships, jointly funded by the UK government’s GREAT Britain Campaign and the British Council with participating UK higher education institutions, offer 60 scholarships from UK universities, across a variety of subjects for students from India. Each scholarship provides financial support to the tune of GBP 10,000 (minimum) towards tuition fees for a one-year postgraduate course.
Chevening Scholarships offer full financial support for one year to candidates applying for a master’s degree at any UK university — covering nearly 12,000 courses from more than 150 universities — and professional development and networking opportunities for mid-career professionals to pursue an 8-12-week course in journalism, science and innovation, cyber security and leadership & excellence.