Jun 01, 2026 13:58 pm IST

Blog | 'I Lost 10 Kilos': Indian Student On Falling Rupee And The Reality Of Life Abroad

In October 2025, I paid the first instalment of my tuition fee. It was 15,800 pounds, and the conversion rate was Rs 118 for a pound. By January, it further slipped to Rs 125 as I paid the second instalment.

Divyam Sharma Divyam Sharma Senior Sub Editor

Divyam Sharma Senior Sub Editor

I first travelled to London three years ago to visit my sister and celebrate my birthday. It was my first solo international trip, so naturally, I was excited about everything - getting my visa, booking my tickets, planning the journey, and finally exchanging rupees for pounds before landing in what felt like the most cosmopolitan city in the world.

In March 2023, one pound cost me around Rs 100 - simple enough for mental maths every time I bought coffee or took the tube. A year later, around the same time, I was back in London and went through the same routine again. Except this time, one pound was closer to Rs 105. Still manageable for quick conversions, but enough to make me realise how much exchange rates quietly shape the experience of studying, travelling, and living abroad. 

The picture was taken on top of the Greenwich Park hill. It's where the GMT divides the Earth into the Eastern and Western hemispheres.

I experienced all of this a year later when I moved to London for my Master's degree at King's College. Now, I was converting a lot of money for visa and college fees. And as the rupee slipped against the pound every day, monthly expenses and stress levels started to climb. As of May 2026, you need Rs 128 to get a pound. It is good for you if you are regularly earning, but for students, it's a nightmare to have daily.

Since last year, every financial decision I made in Delhi was shaped by the rupee-pound currency conversion rate. From booking tickets for a concert to applying for a loan and a visa to replacing my old phone, I could feel what thousands of Indian students go through every year. Despite the weakening of the rupee, students still choose the UK over India because it offers high-quality education and a better standard of........

© NDTV