India’s BA, MA degrees to get equivalence in the UK

Alisha Khan
[Published 01 Aug, 2022 | 12:24 PM]
About Author - 14 min read
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Good news for Indian students wishing to start a job search or continue their higher education in the UK. Certain bachelor's, master's, and doctorate degrees earned by Indian students will now be treated equally with those earned by students in the UK. However, this arrangement does not include professional degrees like medical, engineering, architecture, or pharmacy.

Key points for equal weightage for Indian degrees:

• UK degrees will be equivalent to those from Indian universities and qualify them for employment.
• Ninety percent of graduates in India have taken non-professional courses.
• Indian nurses and sailors will be hired in the UK. Currently, 7 percent of ships and 13% of sailors come from India. The percentage of seafarers will rise to 20%, according to the government.

MoU signed by Commerce secretary BVR Subrahmanyam

A Memorandum of Understanding is being signed to make various degrees earned by Indian students—including bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees—equivalent to those earned in the UK, enabling them to apply for a wide range of positions. MoUs do not apply to certain professional degrees like those in architecture, engineering, medicine, and pharmacy.

According to the MoU, certificates from Indian senior secondary schools and pre-university programs are accepted by UK higher education institutions. Once the discussions are concluded, the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) will be signed by August 31.

The UK degrees are now seen as being on par with Indian degrees. The international applicants are employable with those degrees. Ninety percent of international grads will profit from this move. In India, graduates with bachelor's and master's degrees in the sciences (BSc, MSc) would be treated equally. This MoU will take into account online courses as well.

The MoU ensures that students attending legally recognized higher education institutions in the two nations will have their academic credentials and period of study mutually recognized.

The India-UK free trade agreement negotiations, which are scheduled to go through July 29, could go into August. India anticipates gaining access to the UK market for legal services, British apples, machinery, and medical products.

UK Study Visa for Indian students

All Indian students are given the opportunity by the UK government to study there, but you must first apply for a student visa. Your age and the kind of studies you want to undertake in the UK will determine the sort of visa you require.

The earliest you can apply for a student visa is six months before the commencement of your degree, and under normal circumstances, you will get the verdict on your application within three working weeks.

It is advised to schedule your arrival based on the length of your course because if it is less than six months, you can come to the UK up to one week in advance, but if it is more than six months, you can arrive up to one month in advance. If you want to apply for a student visa, you must: 

• possess a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) reference number and the paperwork necessary to get CAS, as well as an unconditional offer of a spot on a program from an authorized sponsor.
• A reliable English language proficiency test result
• financial evidence, demonstrating that you have the resources to support yourself and pay for your study.

Documentation needed for a student visa

You will typically require the following when applying for your visa:

• a current passport or another acceptable form of identification
• evidence that you have enough money to cover your course-related fees and your living expenses
• Reference for Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) and supporting documentation CAS
• sized passport-sized color photos
• screening for tuberculosis (mandatory for South Asian countries)
• documenting the evaluation
• Certificate of clearance for the Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) (if required)

• not a citizen of the nation from which you are applying
• younger than 18 years old
• have a family (dependents)