King’s College London, a 200-year-old university, has a long-standing relationship with India. It was one of the first universities to teach Sanskrit and Bengali, and has long been teaching Indian politics.
“The great Indian freedom fighter and feminist Sarojini Naidu was one of the first female students of King’s,” shares Kapur.
As the university experiences a “rapid surge” of Indian students, the purpose of Kapur’s visit to Delhi in January 2025 is partly to further understand what students of modern day India are seeking from a British education.
Over the last decade, the university has experienced “stable” cohorts of Indian students, first in the tens, then in the hundreds. “Now, we have almost 2000,” says Kapur.
As India’s higher education landscape evolves, Kapur is considering what young Indians are looking for – whether that’s from the Indian or British higher education system.
“There are now terrific Indian universities newly in the private sector. There has always been great Indian technology institutes and great Indian medical institutes, but now there are Indian universities in the liberal arts sector,” he says.
“What is the differential experience that King’s offer them? That’s what we’re here to learn.”
“Education still remains the single best investment for social mobility and economic mobility in the UK,” claims Kapur.
Education still remains the single best investment for social mobility and economic mobility in the UK
Shitij Kapur, King’s College London
“People will go to university and have a much higher employment rate – it’s upwards of 90% where for the rest of the population that doesn’t go to university, it’s somewhere in the 80% range. Amongst those who are employed there is, of course, the graduate premium.
“Is there an return on investment? Yes. What the next level question is – ‘is the return on investment the same for all subjects and all universities?’
“Or is it, as in most things in life, a conditional ticket? That’s the interesting new evidence that is beginning to emerge – that the returns on university education are differential. It’s partly where you go and what you study. The critical thing is for students to have that information when they make decisions.”
Among King’s offering to international students is its Britishness, says Kapur, coupled with a diverse international pool of students.
“What we are trying to strive for is a balance. People who are choosing King’s are implicitly and explicitly choosing it because it’s in London, it’s a British university. They choose to come to London for a British education.”
King’s currently has students hailing from 120 countries – with China and India its biggest international cohorts. But as international undergraduate applications to King’s are up, postgraduate applications are stabilising.
“For us, an ideal combination is ensuring that our classes have a mix of British students and international students.”
Elsewhere, Kapur believes the university’s location in itself is a major advantage for students. “There is just something about being in a large, cosmopolitan, international city that pushes you, challenges you, opens your perspective.”
“Then, there is, of course, How King’s connects to London,” he adds.
The university’s Civic Leadership Academy links students to community programs and development opportunities in local boroughs – an initiative that sets out to enable students to develop the skills and experience that will support them in becoming highly employable, civically minded and engaged citizens.
As the wishes of employers change, as should the approaches and pedagogies of a university, explains Kapur.
Today’s CEOs are looking for graduates who excel in teamwork, communicate effectively, and are well-versed in emerging technologies, with AI frequently topping employer wish lists.
“Now, the interesting thing is when I ask them, ‘so what aspect of AI?’ They don’t really know,” he says.
“They just feel that this revolution is coming and they feel it will change their discipline. They therefore feel the young people that they’re hiring should be very conversant in this, though at the moment it’s moving way too fast for either them to know or even for us to know exactly.
“What King’s has already done – unlike other universities who were very strict saying you should not be using AI – our general position is, yes, you should. And here is how. And here is how you must acknowledge the fact that you have used it.”
Going forward, Kapur wants to see UK employers becoming more informed about the effectiveness of the Graduate Route – a sentiment often shared by others in the UK sector.
“Yes, the paperwork’s a little different. But it does not put on them any special onerous responsibilities,” he says.
“Our system is stable at the moment. [UK education] minister Bridget Phillipson has assured us – as best as a minister’s assurance works – that the system will stay for the next many years. I think students can count on it.”
