Why is the UK a popular location for higher studies?

Why is the UK a popular location for higher studies?: UK is one of the most popular study abroad destination among international students and for all the right reasons. As per the Ministry of External Affairs, in 2022, the estimated number of Indian students studying in the UK is above 55,000. Some of the top universities such as University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, and Imperial College London have elevated the reputation of UK over the years. There are several factors which make UK one of the top choices, let us discuss them in detail.

Being able to earn a postgraduate degree in one year instead of two, thereby paying less in fees, coupled with the ability to earn money from day one and coveted stay back options – all make the UK the preferred destination for higher education.

The table below illustrates: Why the UK is a suitable choice for Indian students who want to study abroad. The figures shown are taken at an approximate value and will vary according to the ranking of universities. For better understanding, mentioned values of fees and living expenses are converted into Indian rupees. As 95% of the students opt for postgraduate study, the illustrated table applies only for postgraduate education. Also, I have shared the comparison of studying in the UK versus studying in India or other popular foreign destinations.

Course duration

As regards the course duration, there is a myth that one-year postgraduate programs are not valid.  For a two year program in the US and Canada, the universities function only for 60 weeks, which is just 15 months.  In Australia and New Zealand too, the universities function for 60 weeks for a one-and-a-half year program. The course syllabus is more or less the same in all these countries. The only difference is that the US & Canada have more holidays compared to Australia. Now, the same syllabus and content are covered in the UK in 50 weeks.  In the UK, students are not being taught less, but it’s the same syllabus letting you save one whole year of your academic life. The father of our nation, Gandhiji did his masters in law in the UK like many other prominent personalities. Even now our IAS officers are being given one year break and a government sponsorship to pursue an MBA in one of the UK Universities. On successful completion, they are being posted as head of a district as Collectors or chief of an enterprise.

Cost factor

Considering the cost factor, UK appears to be expensive. However, the truth is, post graduation in the UK is the least expensive when we compare with other countries. In Canada, even the living expenses are to be remitted in an account at Canada before the student visa is stamped. That means, effectively, a student cannot do a post-graduation without having Rs 30 Lakhs on hand. In New Zealand too the same is to be done and you need an average of Rs 20 Lakhs.

As far as the UK is considered, if you show the living expenses in your bank account for 28 days, you can get your visa stamped. Normally, if the student takes a bank loan of Rs 15 Lakhs for tuition fees and living expenses, the tuition fees are paid to the university from the bank. Visa is filed with the loan sanction letter to prove that living expenses are available. After the visa is stamped the student takes only one or two lakhs of balance loan amount and goes to the UK. They will usually not avail the balance loan.

Part-time jobs

In all countries, a student visa holder is entitled to work for 20 hours per week. Only Singapore does not allow students to work while they study. In UK student can get into any type of jobs ranging from hotels or petrol stations attendants etc to other white collar jobs. The minimum salary for a petrol station attendant is 5 £ per hour (around Rs 400 per hour). If the student gets a job as a cashier he will get 10 £ (around Rs 800 per hour). Even on basic jobs, working on Saturdays will pay wages one and half times more than that which is paid on weekdays and if you work on Sundays, you would get double wages That means Saturday 10 hours (10x 600) and Sunday 10 hours (10x800) they earn 14,000 INR per week and Rs 56,000 per month. For better jobs as that of a cashier, one can earn around Rs one lakh per month. Smart and diligent students usually earn the entire amount invested before they complete their course. This is not possible in any other country as the rupee conversion value advantage holds only for India.

In the US, when there is much hesitation to issue HIB visa, the prospect is very low for our students. In Canada, Permanent Residence (PR) status is given after course completion. In Australia and New Zealand, they offer PR only after completing two years of education. If one opts for one-and-a-half year PG program (as shown in the table), then the person has to do another six months course at an additional cost. They also have a policy of issuing 8 months bridge visa to process the PR application and effectively one gets PR only after almost three years. So the student loan repayment will begin only after three whole years.

In the UK, you save one year of your life, you pay less as compared to any other country and you start earning from day one. After the student visa expires, they can apply for Tier 2 visa and extend their stay for three years.  The only condition to this is you have to get a job for a value of 20,000£ per year. In Indian rupees, it works out to be around Rs 1.5 Lakhs per month. Considering the part-time salary calculation in the previous paragraph even a basic job holder on working full time, will meet the requirement for Tier 2 visa.  Google the  ‘Tier 2 visa sponsors list’, and you will get a PDF file listing 29000 companies approved by UKBA to sponsor Tier 2 visa.

Cash Bond for UK Visa: Not for Students

“Security of Cash Bond for a visa to the UK” was in the news recently. The fact, however, is, this is not meant for Student Visa, and has not been confirmed even for another category visa for Indians. Many news items report that there is a decline in students going to the UK for higher studies. Yes, there is a decline, but not of genuine students who truly want to earn an international degree in higher education to give them the much needed competitive edge in the global employment market.

As an education consultant with several years of experience, I find that for the vast majority of earnest, ambitious students, UK is still the most preferred destination. In addition to this, the visa process for studying in the UK is a simple and transparent process. Course specialization and research options are other attractions and many Ph.D. students get a stipend and get 3 years visa extension.

- The views expressed in this guest article are that of the author.