LSE Offers Scholarships to 50 Indian Students
Feb 20, 2013

In its desperate efforts to strengthen the trade and education links with India, United Kingdom is in the news once again. The prestigious and, arguably, the best university for business and economics - London School of Economics and Political Science (popular as LSE) - has announced 50 new scholarships for post-graduate Indian Students.

LSE Offers Scholarships to 50 Indian Students
Feb 20, 2013

In its desperate efforts to strengthen the trade and education links with India, United Kingdom is in the news once again. The prestigious and, arguably, the best university for business and economics - London School of Economics and Political Science (popular as LSE) - has announced 50 new scholarships for post-graduate Indian Students.

The LSE scholarships will enable more students from India to study for a Master's degree at the prestigious London-based British university from this year. The awards will range from 3,000 pounds (approx. Rs. 2.4L ) to 32,000 pounds (approx. Rs. 25L), depending on financial need and are open to all Indian students who hold an offer of a place on an LSE Master's programme by April 30, 2013. 

"LSE has enjoyed a strong relationship with India for over a century. This has included welcoming thousands of Indian students to study at the School during this time. We want to ensure that LSE's doors are open to all talented students, regardless of financial circumstances, and are delighted to cement this relationship further by offering 50 scholarships, for graduate study, for students from India," said LSE Director Professor Craig Calhoun, who is part of the delegation accompanying Prime Minister David Cameron during ongoing India visit.

LSE enrols between 300 and 400 Indian students each year, with the majority of these students registered onto post-graduate programmes.

Some more British Universities that are enticing Indian Students with various offers are (Source: TimesHigherEducation)

• Cambridge is to collaborate with the Non-Ferrous Technology Development Centre in Hyderabad and RTM Nagpur University to research fuel cell technology.
• £11 million from the Indian government will establish a Centre for Chemical Biology and Therapeutics, a collaborative project between Cambridge, India's National Centre for Biological Sciences, and the Institute for Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine in Bangalore.
• Cardiff will work with the University of Hyderabad and the LV Prashad Eye Institute to share best practice in the teaching of optometry.
• Warwick is to offer 16 new scholarships to Indian applicants for master’s programmes in law, business, politics and international studies, life sciences, manufacturing and economics.
• Warwick will also host the £92 million National Automotive Innovation Campus, which will research new technologies to reduce dependence on fossil fuels, in partnership with Warwick Manufacturing Group, Jaguar Land Rover, Tata Motors European Technical Centre and the UK government.
• Exeter has offered 14 full scholarships for Indian students to attend its International Summer School in 2013, worth £32,000 in total. 

Previous News

No Cap On No. Of Indian Students, says PM Cameron
Feb 19, 2013

Clearly out to woo Indian businesses and students, British Prime Minister David Cameron, on his visit to Mumbai on Monday - Feb 19th, announced that there will be no cap on the number of Indian students to the UK or the duration of their residence there.

Six months ago, United Kingdom created a havoc by issuing a notice that there will be a strict cap on the number of foreign students, especially from India, studying in their country. The notice clearly mentioned that there will be a mandatory restriction (find a job as soon as you finish the course else go back to your country) on the duration of the stay for any graduate student. This news had left may students there, and their parents here, in lurch. Post this news in September, United States saw a steady rise in the number of Indian students applying for various courses and discplines in over 1000 universities. 

"Students especially from the engineering and management background have always preferred UK as their post graduate country beacuse of the one year course and terrific job opportunities. In these tough market situations, finding a job becomes extremely difficult and that too within a stipulated time adds more pressure. The removal of cap can definitely see a lot of Indian students applying for higher studies in UK", says a K.P. Desai (name changed), a well known counsellor in Mumbai.

UK, which is going through a terrible economic phase, believes that Indian market is one of the best places to stabilise their country. Cameron showed interest in constructing a Mumbai-Bangalore corridor and existing projects like DMIC, Navi Mumbai Airport, Nhava-Sewri link; Transport for London (TfL), MMRDA ink MoU ‘UK’s investments will boost Mumbai plans’, etc.

On the sidelines of the event, Prime Minister David told mediapersons that they would meet officials of the Human Resource Development ministry in Delhi to discuss the problems associated with recognition of the taught Masters’ programmes in India. “The Indian government education bodies do not recognize the one-year taught Masters’ degree from UK. Though getting a job in the private sector is easier with the degree, the government sector does not recognize it.” Attributing this as one of the factors affecting the flow of Indian students to UK universities, one of the delegates also mentioned that a re-entry into the Indian education system after the one-year taught Masters programme was difficult with lack of recognition.

The flexible rules laid by the United Kingdom will once again attract a significant amount of student community for higher studies.