A SUMMIT is being held in India to promote Scotland's higher education system.

The Scottish Government's External Affairs Minister Humza Yousaf will today call on more than 50 of India's most prominent Scottish alumni to become advocates for Scotland and its universities at an event in New Delhi.

Mr Yousaf will also speak to major employers and universities from both India and Scotland to encourage them to work together to promote the distinctive benefits of living, working and studying in Scotland.

The event comes a week after British Council Scotland research found universities north of the Border would benefit from promoting themselves internationally as distinctively Scottish, rather than as part of the UK.

The report found there was poor awareness of what Scottish higher education had to offer, such as its strong showing in global league tables and superior prospects for graduates.

The report said: "There was a general lack of knowledge about Scottish higher education, the Scottish distinctive identity, the differences in higher education provision in Scotland compared with the rest of the UK and the sector's comparative advantages."

The visit also comes at a time when a Westminster crackdown on immigration appears to be restricting the numbers of ­overseas students from India and Pakistan applying to Scottish universities, with a 25% decline between 2012 and 2013.

Mr Yousaf said: "Scotland is world-renowned for excellence in higher education with five of our universities ranking in the top 200.

"The recent British Council Scotland report also shows that the Scottish system rates highly against the rest of the world and the overall learning satisfaction of our international students is unmatched worldwide.

"Our relationship with India is very important to us. As one of the world's fastest expanding ­economies, an important investor and a country where young people make up more than half of the population, India is a major priority for our overseas engagement."

Alastair Sim, director of ­Universities Scotland, which represents university principals, said: "It's really important that Mr Yousaf is out in India spreading the word that international students are welcome in Scotland and will receive a warm Scottish welcome if they choose to study here

"There have always been strong educational ties between Scotland and India, with large numbers of students coming here to study at undergraduate and postgraduate level. We want to retain those connections.

"Scotland's universities have so much to offer students. With world-class teaching and research and the highest rate of employability in the UK, it's no surprise that international students are more satisfied with their experience at university in Scotland than anywhere else."

In January, it emerged that numbers of overseas students from India, Pakistan and Nigeria fell by 1400 after the introduction of tougher visa restrictions by the Home Office.

The clampdown was sparked by concern at the proliferation of bogus colleges operating as "visa shops", but universities argued they were being penalised unfairly.

Scots universities now fear they could lose as much as £23 million in revenue after the fall in students from the key countries.

Universities rely increasingly on the lucrative fees paid by overseas students to subsidise courses for home students, with charges as much as £17,000 a year for postgraduate courses.