London universities work together to tackle barriers to international students

A senior Imperial academic is chairing a conference for the Mayor to help London's leading universities address the decline in Indian students.

Professor David Gann CBE, Vice President (Development & Innovation), is working with colleagues from the University of the Arts, LSE, UCL, King’s, Queen Mary, Royal College of Music, the Greater London Authority, London & Partners, and elsewhere, to help secure London’s status as the education capital of the world at the event today (17 November). 

The universities leaders will work with the Mayor to put policy proposals to the Government that could help the UK to attract more international students, especially those from India. 

As part of the event, the Mayor of London Boris Johnson is revealing a series of proposals designed to arrest the decline in Indian students.

These include a two year Commonwealth Work Visa, to be initially trialled with Indian students, and a two year work visa for science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) graduates. Although the latter would be available to all international graduates, it is expected that Indian students would be among the most enthusiastic beneficiaries. 

Education capital

London attracts 100,000 international students every year, more than any other city in the world. These students contribute £3 billion to the capital’s economy and help to support 37,000 jobs. 

India is the third-largest international student market in London after China and the United States. 

Although Indian student numbers remain stable at Imperial, the number of Indian students studying at other London higher education institutions has more than halved over the last five years. In 2009/10 there were 9,925 Indian students in the capital, while in 2013/14 there were only 4,790. This comes at a time when the demand for higher education in India is growing. 

Professor Gann, who serves as the higher education representative on the London Enterprise Panel, said: “Indian students contribute immeasurably to the intellectual, cultural and economic vitality of London. When they come to the capital, great things happen – for the UK, India and the world. Almost every day I meet innovative Indian students who are helping solve global challenges and create new opportunities: from antibiotic resistance and climate change to fintech and personalised medicine. We should be clear: London’s world-class universities’ doors are wide open to India’s brightest students.” 

Boris Johnson at Imperial

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson MP, said: “London is indisputably the education capital of the world with more top performing universities than any other city globally. However, current restrictions on overseas students are putting off the brightest Indian minds from coming to study in the capital and it is crazy that we should be losing India's top talent and global leaders of the future to countries like Australia and the United States. I hope we can work with London’s universities and Government to address this and make sure the capital remains the leading destination for international students.”

The event takes place just days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the UK. During his visit, Imperial’s President Professor Alice Gast wrote a letter to the Times urging David Cameron to “make it clear that our universities welcome India’s best and brightest.”