Cambridge to launch Indian admissions programme

Britain's prestigious University of Cambridge has unveiled plans to launch a new admissions programme for India this year as part of UK-India Year of Culture celebrations.

The elite university, which counts three former Indian Prime Ministers – Jawaharlal Nehru, Rajiv Gandhi and Manmohan Singh – among its alumni, announced this week that admissions staff will be travelling to India to visit schools and meet students face-to-face in Mumbai, Bangalore, and Delhi.

"In autumn, a team of academics will visit India to conduct admissions interviews, so that applicants need not travel to the UK for that part of our application process," a statement by the university said.

The announcement coincides with a visit to New Delhi this week by Professor Sir Leszek Borysiewicz, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge, to reconfirm the university’s commitment to attracting the "brightest and best students from India"."Many of India's leading figures – academics, scientists, industrialists, and politicians – have enjoyed a Cambridge education. Together we have achieved great things, and I know that by continuing to work together we will rise to even greater heights," he said. “We are a University that is open to the world and must remain so," Prof Borysiewicz noted.

The centrepiece of the university town's 2017 celebrations has been named 'India Unboxed', which will include a programme of exhibitions, events, digital engagement and installations organised by the University of Cambridge Museums and Botanic Garden. Rooted in the museum collections, the programme will explore themes of identity and connectivity for diverse audiences in the UK and India.

Cambridge is home to three major joint UK-India centres: in cancer research, anti-microbial resistant tuberculosis, and crop science. It has 85 collaborative research partnerships across India in fields from the arts and humanities to entrepreneurship to the sciences and technology. —PTI