Owing to the growing Indian market, over 30 boarding schools from 11 countries met with parents and prospective students at The Red Pen’s World Boarding School Fair 2024 in Mumbai and Delhi last month.
Though British boarding schools remain the biggest attraction in India, as evidenced by the number of their branch campuses in the country, institutions from other countries see an opportunity to set themselves apart.
Connecticut-based Cheshire Academy is one such IB college preparatory boarding and day school, for students in grades 9-12 plus a postgraduate year.
With students from over 27 countries and 29% of its student population originating from outside the US, the school is aiming to provide an ‘American experience’ to US college-bound Indian students.
“Many of our students seek an American experience before applying to college or university. So it makes sense for us to be here in India as we see a lot of Indian students coming to America for college and university,” said Rebecca Brooks, interim director of admission, Cheshire Academy.
By the time students reach grade 12, they already know what they want to do because the counsellors have been working with them constantly
Suparna Mody, Cheshire Academy board of trust
According to Suparna Mody, an alum of Cheshire and a part of the institution’s board of trust, the school’s early counselling process could attract Indian students eyeing top US colleges.
“When a student enters Cheshire, the college counselling starts right at the beginning, which steps a lot from grade 10 onwards. So by the time students reach grade 12, they already know what they want to do because the counsellors have been working with them constantly,” said Mody.
As Australia debates the implementation of the ESOS Amendment Bill, which includes a cap on international students at 270,000 for 2025, private schools are making moves in the international market – especially Asia.
“We have over 3,400 students across our three campuses, and have a real mixture of Southeast Asian and regional Australian students. And we increasingly have an interest to diversify into India as well,” said Fiona Dickson, director, community engagement, Wesley College.
“There are direct flights now from Mumbai and Delhi to Melbourne, students will find Australia more affordable, we are not seeing changes in the VAT being imposed on us, the exchange rate also makes the Australian dollar quite a good opportunity,” said Dickson.
We have over 3,400 students across our three campuses, and have a real mixture of Southeast Asian and regional Australian students. And we increasingly have an interest to diversify into India as well
Fiona Dickson, Wesley College
Holding a strategic alliance with the prominent IE University in Spain, The Global College provides a pre-university experience to 16-18-year-olds and participated in its first ever fair in India.
“We have a strong focus on technology and are one of the few IB schools which offers computer science as a part of its curriculum. With Indian students being very STEM-focused, we believe this was the right time to come to the country,” said Benedicte Le Bayon, international development director, The Global College.
Bayon believes higher costs in countries like the UK, where fees can range from £40,000 to £70,000, makes Spain a lucrative option.
“Almost all of our cohort is international, many of them who come from the US, the UK, France, Lebanon, China, Kyrgyzstan and Italy. With our fees being around €39,440, our school is also cheaper than ones in the UK or Switzerland.”
Julia Pollock, director of admissions, Shawnigan Lake School, told The PIE News that despite initial challenges, Canadian boarding schools are aiming to put themselves back on the radar in India.
“We are aware that study permit approval is a challenge for students and also had a meeting with the Canadian High Commission with other schools to assure them that the students and families can afford to live in Canada and are financially stable,” said Pollock.
“But since Covid happened, we are back to square one. We really want to lobby again and put Canada back into focus among Indian students.”
According to Pollock, Canada’s emphasis on skills obtained outside the classrooms and efforts to make students ‘street smart’ is what differentiates it from other boarding school markets.
The UK’s links to India historically and culturally was not lost on Indian families attending the fair.
According to the Independent School Council, there are around 500 boarding schools in England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, and 1,926 Indian overseas students were enrolled in them in 2023.
Already, four British boarding schools, including Wellington College, Harrow School, Millfield School, and Shrewsbury School, have opened campuses in India in light of the country’s rising middle class.
But many schools that haven’t built such a presence in India expect students from India to be interested in experiencing the UK.
“We have started to attract Indian students in the last four to five years. Though there are IB schools in India, we understand through our conversations here that the quality of teachers might be better abroad, and we can recruit teachers more easily,” said Hazel Kay, director of marketing, development, and admissions, ACS International School Cobham.
“There are still questions from parents concerning the subjects being offered and if they are equivalent to ones in India, about timing if students can transition halfway, and about the curriculum.”
According to James Griffith, director of recruitment, MPW London, the institution is seeing an organic growth from India, with five students from the country joining the institution in September.
“We are very academically-driven. Of course many students and parents have questions about Oxbridge preparation programs but they are also interested in humanities subjects,” said Griffith.
“Students can explore classical civilisation, arts, politics, and theatre studies, which they might not have access to within a school in India.”
A survey by the British boarding school network indicates that international student recruitment could decline by as much as 28% in September 2025.
This comes as the UK Labour government announced that independent schools would have to pay 20% VAT next year.
“Secondary education in the UK is already quite an investment. We are not going to hit the families with a 20% fee hike. Once the final budget is announced at the end of October, we will be in a better position to confirm what the situation looks like,” stated Griffith.
Over 800 families registered for the World Boarding School in Mumbai and Delhi, according to Namita Mehta, president, The Red Pen.
“India’s economy is obviously growing and a lot of schools want to enter into the market. It’s a great way for the schools to get their brands out there and decide if they want to come back,” said Mehta.