The extension was formally signed in Mumbai on 20 August 2026 by Professor Jennie Shaw, Vice-Provost (Education and Student Experience), UCL, and Vanita Uppal OBE, Director of The British School New Delhi.
Since its inception in 2024, the UCL India Summer School has developed into a distinctive academic experience for students from across India. Hosted at The British School New Delhi, the programme brings UCL academics and pre-university students together for an immersive week of research-led teaching, high-level critical thinking and multidisciplinary learning.
Over the past three years, students have engaged with academics from ten UCL faculty through lectures, workshops and discussion-based learning. The programme has covered disciplines ranging from law and psychology to technology, urban studies and sustainability. With small class sizes and direct interaction with UCL faculty, the programme provides students with an opportunity to move beyond the school curriculum and experience the intellectual rigour and excitement of a high-quality university education.
Vanita Uppal OBE, Director of The British School New Delhi, said, “The UCL-TBS partnership is fuelled by our shared values and a passionate commitment to bring a stellar pre-university academic experience to students from across the country here in New Delhi. Over the last three years, I have seen first-hand the phenomenal impact the summer school has had on participating students, both in terms of the academic challenge they experienced and equally in their thorough enjoyment of the pedagogical approaches adopted by the faculty. It is a unique and thoughtfully curated opportunity and a ‘must do’ for students who are curious, academically ambitious and ready to be challenged and inspired.”
The 2026 cohort of the UCL India Summer School participated at The British School New Delhi as the partnership entered its next phase. The extension also comes as UCL celebrates its bicentenary in 2026, marking 200 years of advancing knowledge, driving innovation and expanding access to education.
The Summer School reflects a shared vision between UCL and The British School New Delhi of education that opens doors, broadens perspectives and empowers young people to engage meaningfully with the world around them.
Professor Jennie Shaw, Vice-Provost (Education and Student Experience), UCL, said, “The UCL India Summer School is an opportunity for high school students from across India who are looking to apply to world-leading universities to be exposed to high-level critical thinking and research-led teaching delivered by UCL staff.”
With the partnership now extended to 2029, students across India will continue to have the opportunity to learn from leading academics, explore new fields of study and experience the curiosity, rigour and multidisciplinary thinking that define the UCL academic experience.
The next three years will build on the partnership, creating new opportunities for young people to broaden their academic horizons and understand what their future might hold.
UCL is a global top 10 university, set up in London 200 years ago to offer education for all. Today, UCL gathers 60,000 staff and students from over 150 countries to create a unique city within a city – a research and innovation powerhouse that leads the world in subjects spanning the arts, sciences, technology and the humanities. UCL has nurtured 33 Nobel Prize winners, because here, brave ideas have the scale and the support they need to succeed. UCL is University College London.
The British School New Delhi is an inclusive, not-for-profit international school located in the heart of the diplomatic area of New Delhi. Founded in 1963 by the then British High Commissioner and his wife, the award-winning school offers high-quality education to British, expatriate and local families by drawing on the best facets of a rich and culturally diverse community.
For more information, please visit ucl.ac.uk and www.british-school.org.
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