New Delhi: Over 30,000 Indian students received a General Student visa to the UK for the year ending September 2019 -- up from almost 19,000 the previous year, marking a 63 per cent increase year on year, a statement said.
In the last decade, more than 270,000 Indian students have benefited from the UK's world leading education.
The UK is home to three of the world's top 10 universities. Over 1,400 walk-ins were recorded during the recent Study UK Fair in New Delhi, which gave students an opportunity to interact with representatives from over 50 UK universities, a statement from the UK High Commission said.
The UK remains a popular destination for Indian holiday makers too. More than 512,000 Indian nationals received visit visas -- a nine per cent increase compared to the previous year.
Overall, it is estimated that more than one in five of all UK visas go to Indian nationals and 90% of Indian applications are successful, above the global average.
Indian nationals also accounted for nearly 51 per cent of all Tier 2 visas granted globally with over 56,000 Indians receiving skilled work visas in the reporting period.
Sir Dominic Asquith, High Commissioner to India, said: "I'm delighted to see that once again the statistics show that more Indians are choosing to study at the UK's world-class educational institutions. This is now the third consecutive year in which the numbers have increased. It is important to us because these young leaders of tomorrow will reinforce the living bridge that connects India and the UK."
Barbara Wickham, Director India, British Council, said: "The positive growth in student visa statistics, along with the great collaboration between the Indian and UK higher education sectors, ensures that education continues to be key in the relationship between our two countries."
According to the Times Higher Education rankings for 2020, three of the world's top 10 universities are in the UK (Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial College).