Swaroop Sampat-Rawal, a celebrated Bollywood actress and former Miss India, has been awarded a prestigious Fellowship by the University of Worcester.
Swaroop Sampat-Rawal, a celebrated Bollywood actress and former Miss India, has been awarded a prestigious Fellowship by the University of Worcester in the UK; an institution that played a transformative role in her journey from screen icon to globally recognised educator.
Swaroop, who starred in the beloved Indian sitcom Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi and was crowned Miss India in 1979, began teaching later in life after a successful career in entertainment.
Her passion for education led her to pursue a PhD in Education at the University of Worcester, where she graduated in 2006. Her doctoral thesis explored the use of drama to enhance life skills in children with learning disabilities.
Reflecting on her Fellowship, Swaroop said: “It just feels awesome. It made me look back at my younger self, when I was such an unsure student, but I came here, and I excelled. Worcester was the place I changed, and became super confident, so to be included in the College of Fellows here feels great.”
Her Fellowship comes as she also receives the Education World Educational Researcher TREE Award for 2025-2026, recognising her as an impactful educator.
Swaroop has remained closely connected to the University, visiting regularly when in the UK. In 2018, she was also awarded an Honorary Doctorate in recognition of her contributions to education and social change.
Swaroop said her time at Worcester was pivotal in her life: “My time studying at Worcester was life changing. I learned things beyond my imagination, and when I look back, I realise I wouldn’t have succeeded anywhere else. The University of Worcester changed the way I think, it brought out my creativity and it turned me into an academic. I’m so proud of the books I’ve written and the conferences I’ve presented at, but it has all come from my time at Worcester.”
Swaroop’s impact in education has been felt far beyond the UK. In 2019, she was named among the top 10 teachers in the world by the Varkey Foundation’s Global Teacher Prize. She was also selected as one of around 100 educators to help rewrite India’s national school curriculum; an initiative aimed at transforming learning for millions of children.
“What really helped me in Worcester was the academic excellence,” she said. “I really learned how to research, and how to do it well. Creativity and being different is important, but so is academic excellence, and that’s what I got at Worcester. I’m very proud of that.”
Swaroop is married to actor and former politician Paresh Rawal, and continues to advocate for inclusive education and creative learning methods.
To learn more about courses at the University of Worcester, visit www.worcester.ac.uk