In the heart of London, King’s College has been a centre of academic excellence since 1829. The college that boasts 14 Nobel Prize winners—alumni of the college and institutions associated with it—also has a significant number of Indian students.
In an exclusive interview with The Free Press Journal (FPJ), Professor Adam Fagan, Vice President of Education and Student Success at King's College, highlighted the experience of Indian students at the university, collaboration activities in India, as well as sharing some crucial tips for aspiring students
FPJ: From which country does King’s College get its largest international student community?
Fagan: We welcome students from all over the world to our 5 campuses in central London, and much depends on the particular course. Like most British universities, we recruit a large number of Asian students, particularly from China and India. Our Indian students do incredibly well and are very successful academically and socially. Indeed, Indian students have been coming to King’s for nearly 200 years!
FPJ: Can you tell us more about the Indian student community at King’s?
Fagan: Indian students are attracted to King’s because there’s such a developed, settled community here in London. And being in London as an Indian national is just so easy. There are old difficulties that come up, but the vast majority of students settle in very well. King’s is situated right next door to the Indian High Commission, and we hold many joint events throughout the year.
Many of our students describe the experience as being something like ‘home abroad’, which is a very good way to describe the situation. They do very well academically. There’s no problem when it comes to language as well. We also tend to recruit the very best students.
FPJ: What according to you contributed to the steady growth of Indian students at King's College?
Fagan: Our reputation for research excellence and the fact that we remain at the top end of the tables explains the growth.
One more thing to consider is the range of programmes that we offer. We also provide very good combined honours degrees, and I think that appeals, particularly at the postgraduate level.
We also have a Vice-Chancellor, Professor Shitij Kapur, who is Indian. King’s also has a strong Indian alumni network, so most of it is also word of mouth.
FPJ: Which are the most popular courses among Indian students?
Fagan: There is barely a course at our university that doesn't have an Indian student. However, courses like business management, international relations, engineering, natural sciences and law have most of the Indian students. Psychology is also one course that is quickly gaining interest.
FPJ: Is King’s planning further collaborations or initiatives to increase the number of Indian students?
Fagan: We regularly visit India to build partnerships with the top Indian universities, because they're the ones that send us their graduates. We also have extensive research partnerships and collaborations that connect King’s with many of the top health and science institutes in India.
FPJ: Has the recent visa restrictions impacted enrollment numbers?
Fagan: The current visa changes impact on those students who wish to bring dependents to the UK. To be honest, very few of our Indian students fall into this category, as they tend to be young single people. The main thing to emphasise is that students who gain a Tier 4/student visa can apply for permission to work or look for work after their studies for 2 years, or 3 years for PhD students. The work can be in any sector and at any level without any minimum salary requirements or the need for visa sponsorship.
FPJ: Does King's provide accommodation facilities to all its students?
Fagan: Yes, every single applicant is offered university accommodation services. Offer-holders have to apply by a certain date, but there is ample high-quality accommodation available. Even if an Indian student decides to live in private accommodation, we offer lots of support through our accommodation services to advise on managing and accessing the best quality at the best price.
FPJ: What are the placement opportunities at King's?
Fagan: We can't ever ensure a job offer for a student and we’re very clear about that right from the start. However, we do introduce students to business, law, and entertainment sectors. This is because of our location, which is in the heart of London.
We are also going to launch a big initiative in this department, known as King’s Edge which will help a student right from the start. Whether it’s extracurricular courses, or one wants to learn data coding, a language, or want to do an internship, we will provide support in everything.
We see it as a sort of wraparound for students and the degree. Even if a student has got an idea for a start-up, we can also help support that by introducing students to employers or funders. We do all of this, but what we're trying to do is bring it together and scale it considerably.
FPJ: What suggestions do you have for aspiring students?
Fagan: We are primarily a selecting not a recruiting university, which means the grade tariff is high. The other important thing is your personal statement and enthusiasm. However, what really matters is that your results are high. That being said, students should not give up, because it's always worth applying.
The second piece of advice is don't be put off by the UK and London in particular. It is a very good place to study and live.
